KURDISTAN

Latest News

• HPG reports heavy fighting between guerrillas and Turkish troops in South Kurdistan 

  HPG Press Centre announced that hand-to-hand fighting continues range between the Turkish troops and HPG/YJA Star guerrillas in the Avaşîn area of the Medya Defense Zones.
• ‘The Turkish state will not succeed against the guerrillas’ 

  “Even if a single fighter remains in these mountains, this struggle will not end, the PKK will not end. If one of us falls a martyr, dozens of others take over the struggle,” said KCK General Presidency Council Member Elif Ronahi.
• Police detain shopkeeper in Siirt for speaking against Kurdish denial 

  A shopkeeper from Siirt province, Cemil Taşkesen, who said “This is Kurdistan” during a recent visit of nationalist IYI Party chair Meral Akşener, has been detained by the Turkish police today.
• Missing HDP politician from Ağrı detained in Iran 

  Mehmet Birdal, a local HDP politician from Ağrı who has been missing since August, is being held in an Iranian prison in the Urmia city of East Kurdistan. He is accused of PKK membership and has no contact with his family or legal counsel.
• Justice for Roboski Initiative calls for solidarity 

  Members of the Justice for Roboski Initiative called for solidarity with their struggle.
• Turkey cuts down and loots trees in South Kurdistan 

  The Turkish army is reported to have cut down and stolen trees in the Metina region of South Kurdistan.
• YJA Star guerrillas destroy Turkish military position in South Kurdistan 

  YJA Star guerrillas destroyed a military position of the Turkish army with heavy weapons in Xakûrkê.
• Mothers in Shengal: International institutions should speak out against Turkey 

  Mothers in Shengal said that the Turkish state is waging an immoral war against the guerrillas and protested international states that condone the use of chemical weapons.
• KDP forces open fire on civilians, killing one 

  Armed forces affiliated with South Kurdistan’s ruling party KDP are reported to have opened fire on two people in Sheladize which left one of them dead.
• Couple missing since launch of Turkish military operation in Mardin 

  A military operation has been taking place in the Omerya region of Mardin for five days. Since then, the couple Faize and Ibrahim Dinler have been unreachable, and their relatives are in great concern. The telephone connection has been cut off.
• Guerrillas resist Turkish invasion attacks in South Kurdistan 

  The resistance of the HPG/YJA Star guerrillas is continuing uninterrupted as Turkish attacks intensify around the Avaşîn region.
• A century-old chemical massacre in Kurdistan 

  War crimes are still committed in Kurdistan which has been subjected to chemical attacks for a century.
• KDP special forces attack guerrillas once again! 

  KDP special forces ambushed guerrilla forces and opened fire around Dereşê village in Amediyê district.
• Factsheet: Turkish use of chemical weapons in South Kurdistan 

  The Kurdish Center for Public Relations - Civaka Azad has published a comprehensive factsheet on the Turkish invasion of South Kurdistan using chemical warfare agents.
• HPG reports Turkish use of chemical weapons amid ongoing clashes in Avaşîn 

  HPG Press Centre reported that clashes between guerrilla forces and Turkish troops are continuing in Avaşîn and the Turkish army is using chemical weapons again.
• Gerîla TV broadcasts footage of action in Werxelê 

  Gerîla TV broadcast the footage of the action in which two Turkish soldiers were killed in Werxelê.
• Four more guerrillas killed by Turkish chemical weapons in South Kurdistan 

  HPG announced the deaths of four more guerrilla fighters in the Werxelê resistance area. Hêvîdar Tirbespiyê, Yerîvan Kato, Binevş Çiya and Adil Gabar were killed by Turkish poison gas.
• KNK calls for intervention against Turkish use of chemical weapons 

  The Kurdish National Congress (KNK) has called for immediate intervention against the war crimes of the Turkish state and warned of a catastrophe similar to that under the Baath regime in Kurdistan.
• HPG releases six-month balance sheet of war in South Kurdistan 

  According to an HPG assessment of the Turkish invasion of southern Kurdistan, Turkey has been unable to implement its occupation plan and has suffered defeat despite technological superiority and the use of banned chemical weapons.
• Three soldiers killed in guerrilla sabotage in Avaşîn 

  Three members of the Turkish occupation forces were killed in a guerrilla sabotage in the resistance region of Avaşîn. The fighting that broke out the day before continues.
• 'Imam' pile in Kurdish cities 

  More imams and Qur'an course instructors are appointed in Kurdish provinces than are required.
• "NATO must investigate Turkish war crimes" 

  Turkey is committing war crimes in the name of NATO. Author Letîf Fatîh Ferac calls for an international investigation into the Turkish army's chemical weapons attacks in southern Kurdistan, saying that NATO, the UN and the EU have a duty to do so.
• Turkish soldier commits suicide during invasion operation in South Kurdistan 

  The guerrillas' determined resistance to the invasion of southern Kurdistan, which has been ongoing for six months, is causing psychological problems among the Turkish troops. In Metîna, a soldier committed suicide.
• German Consulate in Hewlêr says it closely follows Behdinan prisoners' case 

  The German Consulate in Hewlêr said that it closely follows the Behdinan prisoners' case, together with the UN and EU observers.
• ‘The Turkish state should be prosecuted in accordance with international laws’ 

  Roni Umran Xelef stated that the Turkish state using chemical weapons against the Kurdish people should be prosecuted in accordance with international laws, calling on the UN Security Council and human rights organisations to fulfil their responsibilities