Salih Zeki Çolak

Turkish authorities have conducted a search for biological and chemical weapons in a school in which members of the top brass and the country's parliamentary speaker were scheduled to vote in the Çankaya district of Ankara. 

Chief of General Staff Gen. Hulusi Akar on Jan. 29 paid a visit to the disputed Aegean islets of Kardak, the Turkish Armed Forces has announced.

Turkish Chief of General Staff Gen. Hulusi Akar has visited the units in the southeastern province of Gaziantep and the southern provinces of Kilis and Adana near the Syrian border in order to carry out examinations and inspections. Land Forces Commander Gen. Salih Zeki Çolak and Turkish Air Force Cmdr. Gen. Abidin Ünal accompanied Akar on his visit on Jan. 20.

The Mechanical and Chemical Industry Corporation (MKEK) delivered Turkey's indigenous infantry rifle (MPT-76) to the Defense Ministry on Jan. 11. 

Turkish Chief of General Staff Gen. Hulusi Akar met his U.S. counterpart, Gen. Joseph Dunford at the İncirlik Air Base in the southern province of Adana on Dec. 5, the Turkish General Staff has announced. 

The meeting came while Dunford was at the base to celebrate an early Christmas with U.S. soldiers at the base as a part of the annual USO Holiday Tour. 

Turkish Chief of General Staff Gen. Hulusi Akar visited Kilis on the border with Syria on Nov. 23, as Turkey hit 17 Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) targets as part of Ankara's Euphrates Shield Operation. 

Turkish Chief of General Staff Gen. Hulusi Akar visited the southeastern province of Kilis on the border with Syria on Nov. 23.

After landing at Gaziantep Airport in the early hours of the morning, Akar, accompanied by Land Forces Commander Gen. Salih Zeki Çolak, headed to Kilis by helicopter.

Turkey will complete a 911-kilometer-long wall along its border with Syria in the first half of 2017, Turkish Defense Minister Fikri Işık said Nov. 2 during a visit to the border along with the commander of the Land Forces, Salih Zeki Çolak, and Hatay Gov. Erdal Ata. 

Turkish Defense Minister Fikri Işık has paid a visit to the southeastern province of Gaziantep in order to obtain information regarding the activities on the Turkish-Syrian border. Işık was accompanied by Land Forces Commander Gen. Salih Zeki Çolak and other high-level military officials, Anadolu Agency reported on Sept. 29. 

Turkey has renewed its top military brass and appointed Land Forces Commander Gen. Hulusi Akar as the new Chief of General Staff, as his predecessor Gen. Necdet Özel has completed his four-year mandate. Gen. Özel is expected to hand over his seat to Gen. Akar on Aug. 14.