لواء إسكندرون
Turkish leader Mustafa Kemal Atatürk refused to accept the Sanjak of Alexandretta as part of the Mandate and, in a speech on March 15, 1923 in Adana, he described the Sanjak as "A homeland where Turks lived for centuries and can't be a captive at the hands of enemy". Turkish policy aimed at annexing the Sanjak of Alexandretta when the French mandate of Syria was due to expire in 1935. Turks in Alexandretta initiated reforms in the style of Atatürk's, and formed various organisations and institutions in order to promote the idea of union with Turkey.