The last troops of the Allies departed from the city on 4 October 1923, and the first troops of the Ankara government, commanded by Şükrü Naili Pasha (3rd Corps), entered the city with a ceremony on 6 October 1923, which has been marked as the Liberation Day of Istanbul (Turkish: İstanbul'un Kurtuluşu, Ottoman Turkish: استانبولڭ قورتولوشی) and is commemorated every year on its anniversary.

Half or less were Muslim, with the rest being largely Greek Orthodox, Armenian Apostolic, and Jewish; there had been a substantial Western European population before the war.

That day, Admiral Somerset Gough-Calthorpe, the British signatory, stated the Triple Entente's position that they had no intention to dismantle the government or to place it under military occupation by "occupying Constantinople".

[16] This verbal promise and lack of mention of the occupation of Istanbul in the armistice proper did not change the realities for the Ottoman Empire.

[18] The Allies began to occupy Ottoman territory soon after the Armistice of Mudros; on 12 November 1918, a French brigade entered Istanbul.

On 7 February 1919, an Italian battalion with 19 officers and 740 soldiers landed at the Galata pier; one day later they were joined by 283 Carabinieri, commanded by Colonel Balduino Caprini.

The French Government's response to those accused was "distinction to disadvantage of Muslim-Turks while Bulgarian, Austrian and German offenders were as yet neither arrested nor molested".

Any source of conflict (including Armenian questions) would be investigated by a commission, to which neutral governments could attach two legal superintendents.

[20] Calthorpe's correspondence to Foreign Office was "The action undertaken for the arrests was very satisfactory, and has, I think, intimidated the Committee of Union and Progress of Constantinople".

If Calthorpe's anger could be calmed down by foisting the blame on a few members of the Committee of Union and Progress, the Ottoman Empire could thereby receive more lenient treatment at the Paris peace conference.

The prosecution presented "forty-two authenticated documents substantiating the charges therein, many bearing dates, identification of senders of the cipher telegrams and letters, and names of recipients.

[24] During its whole existence from 28 April 1919, to 29 March 1920, Ottoman trials were performed very poorly and with increasing inefficiency, as presumed guilty people were already intended as a sacrifice to save the Empire.

Calthorpe was alarmed when he learned that the victor of Gallipoli had become the inspector general for Anatolia, and Mustafa Kemal's behavior during this period did nothing to improve matters.

Captain Hurst (British army) in Samsun warned Calthorpe one more time about the Turkish national movement, but his units were replaced with a brigade of Gurkhas.

When 1920 arrived, he was concerned by reports that substantial stocks of arms were reaching Turkish National Movement, some from French and Italian sources.

There were arguments of "National Pact" (Misak-ı Milli) circulating, and if these were solidified, it would take a longer time and more resources to handle the case (partitioning of the Ottoman Empire).

This request posed awkward problems at the highest level: promises for national sovereignty were on the table and the United States was fast withdrawing into isolation.

At the Conference of London on 4 March 1920, the Triple Entente decided to implement its previous (secret) agreements and form what would be the Treaty of Sèvres.

The Allies' military forces in Istanbul ordered that the necessary actions be taken; while the political side increased efforts to put the Treaty of Sèvres into writing.

Yeni Gün was owned by Yunus Nadi Abalıoğlu, an influential journalist, and was the main media organ in Turkey publishing Turkish news to global audiences.

[29] Others, such as Hüseyin Rauf Orbay, who was of Ubykh descent, remained loyal to Kemal, and was exiled to Malta in 1920 when British forces took the city.

[30][self-published source] The British were quick to accept the fact that the nationalistic movement, which had solidified during World War I, could not be faced without the deployment of reliable and well-trained forces.

[citation needed] Concurrently, Mustafa Kemal had set up a rival government in Ankara, the Grand National Assembly of Turkey.

Nevertheless, the Chanak Crisis nearly resulted in hostilities, these being avoided on 11 October 1922, when the Armistice of Mudanya was signed, bringing the Turkish War of Independence to an end.

Under the terms of the treaty, Allied forces started evacuating Istanbul on 23 August 1923 and completed the task on 4 October 1923 – British, Italian, and French troops departing pari passu.