| Wind Unit | |
|---|---|
| Turkish:Rüzgâr Birliği | |
| Active | 1992–1994 |
| Country |  Turkey |
| Allegiance | Grey Wolves |
| Type | Infantry battalion |
| Role | Guerrilla warfare |
| Size | 500(1992) |
| Garrison/HQ | Tovuz,Azerbaijan(1992) |
| Colors | Turquoise |
| Engagements | First Nagorno-Karabakh War |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders |
|
Wind Unit (Turkish:Rüzgâr Birliği,Azerbaijani:Rüzgar birliyi)[1] orWind Group (Turkish:Rüzgâr Grubu,Azerbaijani:Rüzgar qrupu)[2] was a volunteerinfantry battalion composed ofTurkish nationalists. Established in 1992, byAlparslan Türkeş, the founder of theNationalist Movement Party and theGrey Wolves, its goal was to spread the idea ofTuranism in all of theTurkic countries that gained independence after thefall of the Soviet Union.
About 500 members of Wind Unit, who were mostly formerspecial forces servicemen ofTurkey, went to Azerbaijan after theKhojaly massacre in 1992, during theFirst Nagorno-Karabakh War, to train theAzerbaijani forces, though they also limitedly contributed to the Azerbaijani war effort. Despite this, they were removed from Azerbaijan in 1993, and the battalion was disbanded a year later after pressure from theTurkish government.
Wind Unit was established by the orders ofAlparslan Türkeş, the founder of theNationalist Movement Party and theGrey Wolves, to spread the idea ofTuranism in all of theTurkic countries that gained independence after thefall of the Soviet Union.[3]
During theFirst Nagorno-Karabakh War, after theKhojaly massacre in 1992, where at least 200[4][5] and possibly as high as 613[6] ethnicAzerbaijani civilians were massacred byArmenian Armed Forces and 366thCIS regiment,[7][8] Türkeş instructed Aydoğan Aydın and other Turkish officers to support the Azerbaijani forces in their war effort and to "protect the people in the region from massacres."[1] According to Novruz Hasanov, also known as Novruz Hasan Bozalganli, an Azerbaijani police officer who served inTovuz, the Turkish officers even met withAbulfaz Elchibey, thenPresident of Azerbaijan and got his approval, though a suitable education field could not be found and some of the Turkish officers left Azerbaijan.[9]
Later in 1992, a camp was set up inAzerbaijan, reportedly about 40 kilometres (25 mi) ofTovuz, close to theArmenia–Azerbaijan border, in aSoviet-era ex-scouting camp,[9] to train volunteerAzerbaijani nationalists who would form the basis of a new army in Azerbaijan.[3] The camp provided military and political training to the members of Wind Unit. Military training in the camp was provided by Hamit İlbey, a reserve officer of theTurkish Air Force who previously worked at the TurkishSpecial Forces Command, and political education by Atilla Kaya, İrfan Özcan, and some otherTurkish nationalists.[10] Yusuf Ziya Arpacık and Aydoğan Aydın were also in Azerbaijan as part of Wind Unit.[11][12] These servicemen were dismissed from theTurkish Armed Forces and served in Azerbaijan voluntarily.[13] According to Arpacık, after PresidentHeydar Aliyev took office, 22 volunteer battalions composed of the Azerbaijani servicemen trained by the Turkish servicemen were disbanded. Arpacık had stated that Aliyev removed Wind Unit from Azerbaijan in 1993 and that this was followed by defeats in the frontline as the military operations were carried out with uneducated recruits.[1]
According to Bozalganli, 500 TurkishGrey Wolves members were serving in Azerbaijan in 1992.[9][14] Bozalganli also claimed that the battalion was supposed to contain 2,000 men, with the other 1,500 being planned to come from theAzerbaijani Popular Front Party and theMusavat Party. Among the Turkish servicemen, there were no deaths, but several Turkish servicemen were wounded during the war.[1]
In 1994, after theTurkish government put pressure onAlparslan Türkeş, Wind Unit was dissolved.[15]