Eril Alperen Emir (born 1998, Kastamonu), Infantry Second Lieutenant. Due to his father’s military assignment, Eril Alperen Emir spent his childhood in Kızıltepe, Mardin. Following his father’s subsequent transfer, he completed his middle and high school education in Bursa, where the family relocated.^【1】

Military Career and Martyrdom

Eril Alperen Emir’s Graduation (Source: Halide Serap Emir)

Since childhood, Eril Alperen Emir aspired to a military career. He entered the Turkish Military Academy and received training at the Anafartalar Battalion, thus beginning his professional journey. He graduated from the National Defense University in 2021 as a Second Lieutenant.

After graduation, he completed his officer training course in Istanbul and was assigned to the 41st Commando Brigade in Kırklareli, where he began his military service with the rank of Infantry Second Lieutenant. He later assumed command of the Fifth Battalion and was subsequently deployed as part of a mobile unit to northern Iraq. On 12 December 2023, he was killed in action during a clash with a terrorist organization in the Pençe-Kilit operation area. Martyred. ^【2】

Funeral and Commemoration

The Ministry of National Defense announced Eril Alperen Emir’s martyrdom via its social media account. ^【3】Then-Minister of the Grand National Assembly Numan Kurtulmuş and Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz also expressed condolences via their social media accounts. ^【4】

Eril Alperen Emir’s body was brought to Ankara, where a funeral ceremony was held on 13 December 2023 after the noon prayer at the Ahmet Hamdi Akseki Camii in Ankara. The funeral prayer was led by Ali Erbaş, then President of the Directorate of Religious Affairs. ^【5】

Funeral Ceremony of Eril Alperen Emir (Source: Halide Serap Emir)

In addition to his family and loved ones, numerous political figures attended the funeral. Among them were then Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz, CHP Chairman Özgür Özel, Minister of Family and Social Services Mahinur Özdemir Göktaş, Minister of Labor and Social Security Vedat Işıkhan, Minister of Interior Ali Yerlikaya, Minister of National Defense Yaşar Güler, Minister of Agriculture and Forestry İbrahim Yumaklı, Minister of Trade Ömer Bolat, Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Abdulkadir Uraloğlu, MHP Chairman Devlet Bahçeli, BBP Chairman Mustafa Destici, İYİ Party Spokesperson Kürşad Zorlu, Chief of the General Staff General Metin Gürak, Gendarmerie Commander General Arif Çetin, Ankara Governor Vasip Şahin, and Ankara Provincial Police Chief Engin Dinç. ^【6】He was subsequently laid to rest at Cebeci Military Cemetery. ^【7】

Since his martyrdom, Eril Alperen Emir has been honored and remembered by his family and the public. A library and computer laboratory ^【8】, the documentary