On 15 May 1919, Greek forces captured İzmir and immediately set out to occupy a larger territory in Turkey's Aegean Region. Yöruk Ali organized meetings with the cooperation of other Efes in the region such as "" and grouped most zeybeks of Aydın region under his command. On 16 June 1919 he made a surprise attack on a Greek garrison based in Malgaç train station. The garrison was completely destroyed and great amount of ammunition and supplies were captured. This was the first victory for the Turkish side in Greco-Turkish War (1919-1922).