Female students top military university graduates

ISTANBUL

Female students have achieved top honors at all three schools of the National Defense University (MSÜ) for the first time.

İkra Kuyumcu, 23, graduated with honors from the air force academy, Ebru Eroğlu, 24, from the land forces academy and Şeyda Yıldırım, 22, from the naval academy.

Their accomplishments were celebrated at a ceremony held in Istanbul's Bakırköy district on Aug. 30 and 31.

The diplomas were awarded by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

“This is not a coincidence. It is the interest and attention of our girls to our war schools, their work and the struggle they put up as a result of this,” Erdoğan said at the ceremony.

Nearly 200 students participated in the ceremony, including 14 from guest countries.

Military schools in Türkiye were previously managed by the General Staff. They underwent a major reorganization following the 2016 coup attempt orchestrated by FETÖ and its U.S.-based leader Fethullah Gülen.

The foiled coup targeted key locations in Ankara, Istanbul and others elsewhere, leading to the deaths of over 250 people.