Family of martyred pilot Maj. Ibrahim Bolat receives tragic news

By Yusuf İnan | Wise News Press

IZMIR, TURKEY — Military officials delivered the tragic news to the family of Air Force Pilot Maj. Ibrahim BOLAT, who was martyred after his F-16 fighter jet crashed in Balikesir.

The devastating incident occurred during a flight out of the 9th Main Jet Base Command, leaving the nation in mourning while preparations for a final farewell in his hometown of Izmir are underway.

"He used to drink water outside the military base"

According to AA, neighbors flocked to the family home in the Evka 2 neighborhood of the Cigli district to offer condolences after mother Sehribani BOLAT and father Yusuf BOLAT were informed. Local neighborhood headman Ibrahim OZDEMIR stated that he had known the martyr since childhood and emphasized his lifelong dream of becoming a soldier.

"Even as a little boy, he would go in front of the military base, drink water from there, and console himself with the thought of being a soldier," OZDEMIR said. "I am deeply saddened because I knew his childhood well; I don't know what to say. May Allah have mercy on him, and may his resting place be heaven. Martyrs do not die."

First military ceremony held in Balikesir

An official military ceremony was held for the martyred pilot at his duty station, the 9th Main Jet Base Command in Balikesir. The martyr's body, wrapped in the Turkish flag, was brought to the ceremonial ground where his biography was read. Following prayers led by Balikesir Mufti Hasan Hayri YASAR, the coffin was carried on the shoulders of his comrades to an aircraft for transport.

During the ceremony, two F-16 jets performed a flyby to pay their final respects to the fallen pilot.

Funeral arrangements in Izmir

Air Force Commander Gen. Ziya Cemal KADIOGLU offered his condolences to the martyr's wife, Ayse Nilay BOLAT, and his 10-year-old daughter, Nil BOLAT, during the ceremony. Balikesir Governor Ismail USTAOGLU, Combatant Air Force Commander Gen. Rafet DALKIRAN, 9th Main Jet Base Commander Brig. Gen. Gokhan GURAKAR, and local protocol members also attended the farewell event.

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The martyred pilot's remains will be laid to rest at the Kadifekale Air Martyrs' Cemetery following a funeral prayer at the Haci Mustafa Besikcioglu Mosque in Izmir after the afternoon prayer.

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