Turkish Resistance Organisation

Türk Mukavemet Teşkilatı (TMT)
Participant in resistance against EOKA, greek cypriot controlled Republic of Cyprus after 1963, EOKA B
Active	1958–1974
Leaders	Rauf Denktaş
Headquarters	Cyprus
Strength	3,000 volunteers
Allies	Turkey
Opponents	EOKA, Republic of Cyprus, EOKA B

The Turkish Resistance Organisation (Turkish: Türk Mukavemet Teşkilatı – TMT) was a Turkish Cypriot pro-taksim paramilitary organisation formed by Rauf Denktaş and Turkish military officer Rıza Vuruşkan in 1958 as a defence organisation to counter the Greek Cypriot Fighter's Organisation EOKA.

Structure

TMT's organisation structure and base had been formed as early as 1950 with its centre in Yenişehir, Ankara and its members called mujahid. Communication with its members in Cyprus was by radio and the honorary leader of the TMT was Fatin Rüştü Zorlu.

General Daniş Karabelen, in charge of unconventional warfare office of Turkey, was leading the irregular Turkish Cypriot attacks on Greek Cypriot properties.^{[citation needed]} The Turkish state in 1950s had sent to Cyprus Turkish officers and special forces veterans who arrived secretly and presented themselves as bankers, teachers and business men and trained Turkish Cypriots in tactics of unconventional warfare.

Against Enosis

In response to the growing demand for Enosis (union of Cyprus with Greece), a number of Turkish Cypriots became convinced that the formation of an ethnic-Turkish resistance movement was the only way to protect the interests and identity of the Turkish Cypriot population against a militant Greek Cypriot threat^{[citation needed]}. TMT used the symbol of the Gray Wolf (Turkish: Bozkurt), an important archetype from Turkish mythology and symbol of Turkish Nationalism in mainland Turkey. The organisation announced itself to the world on 29 November 1957, when leaflets in its name were distributed around Cyprus's main towns.

Favoring Partition

TMT was active mainly between 1958 and 1974, promoting partition (in Turkish: Taksim) of Cyprus. It has been accused by the Government of the Republic of Cyprus of numerous acts of terrorism against Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots alike.^{[citation needed]} TMT claims that their efforts were simply in response to a real threat against their community by EOKA, after 1963, by the Cypriot Government (which by then was almost exclusively Greek Cypriot in makeup) and later by EOKA B. Members of TMT were responsible for the killings of left-wing Turkish-Cypriots such as AKEL member Dervis Ali Kavazoglu and of Greek-Cypriots e.g. Misiaoulis as part of a campaign of intimidation favoring partition.^{[citation needed]}

Areas under TMT control prior to 1974.

TMT activity during 1963-64 is referred to as Tourkantarsia (Turkish mutiny) by greek cypriot nationalists.^{[citation needed]}

See also

• Operation Atilla
• Cyprus dispute