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East Turkestan National Army (Ili National Army) | |
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![]() Female soldiers, c. 1946 | |
Founded | 8 April 1945 – 22 December 1949 |
Country | ![]() |
Branch | Army |
Size | 50,000 infantry and 100,000 irregular reserves |
HQ | Ghulja |
Nickname(s) | Milli Armiye (National Army) |
Colors | Blue and white |
March | Kozghal! (Arise!) |
Equipment | 12 artillery pieces 42 Fighter planes |
Engagements | Ili Rebellion Chinese Civil War |
Commanders | |
Marshal-in-chief | Elihan Tore |
Political commissar | Abdulkerim Abbas |
Notable commanders | General Ishaq Beg Munonov, General Dalelkhan Sugirbayev, Major Barat Hacı, Lt. Colonel Yusupbek Mukhlisi, General Zunun Taipov |
The East Turkestan National Army (Uyghur: شەرقىي تۈركىستان مىللىي ئارمىيىسى, romanized: sherqiy türkistan milliy armiyisi) was the armed forces of the Second East Turkestan Republic (ETR). It was active from 1945 to 1949, beyond the dissolution of the ETR in 1946, when it was renamed the Ili National Army (INA; Chinese: 伊犁民族軍) per a peace agreement between the ETR leadership and representatives of the Republic of China. It originally consisted of six regiments: the Suidun Infantry Regiment, the Ghulja Regiment, the Kensai Regiment, the Ghulja Reserve Regiment, the Kazakh Cavalry Regiment, the Dungan Regiment, the Artillery Subdivision, the Sibo Subdivision, and the Mongol Subdivision. The last two subdivisions were later reformed to regiments. All regiments were armed with mostly German-made weapons that were provided by the Soviet Union on orders by Joseph Stalin. Its personnel was trained in the Soviet Union.[1] Rebel aviation included 42 airplanes, which were captured in the Ghulja Kuomintang air base and repaired by Soviet military personnel.[2]