Amed Malazgirt, a commander of the People’s Defense Center (HSM) Headquarters Command, assessed the current developments of the Turkish war of invasion against the guerrilla-held Medya Defense Zones in southern Kurdistan (northern Iraq).  

Pointing out that the guerrillas are fighting against an enemy that has all possibilities and great support from outside, Malazgirt said: "We never said that the enemy cannot advance, but they cannot get anywhere without paying a high price. Every step they take will cost them. The longer the war goes on, the higher the price will become."

"Technology and soldiers fail against the guerrillas"

In an interview with ANF, Malazgirt described the developments of the past three months. He reported that the attacks began on 14 April with bombardment by 55 aircraft and armed drones, rocket fire and heavy artillery. A ground attack was launched on 17 April. Since then, the war has continued with full intensity in the Zap, Avaşîn and Metîna regions. During these three months, the guerrillas have repeatedly inflicted the heaviest losses on the Turkish army, despite the difficult conditions, said Malazgirt and continued: "The enemy suffered heavy losses and heavy blows on every hill and in every area where they set foot. A fierce battle is still raging in Zap, Avaşîn and Metîna. However, the trained special forces, all the professional military forces and the most modern technology provided by NATO are failing against the guerrillas. So Kurdish traitors and collaborators, so-called village guards, have been brought into the war."

Malazgirt also pointed to the use of jihadist mercenaries from Syria who were brought to the mountains. Nevertheless, he said, the Turkish state has suffered heavy defeats, which is why it resorts to chemical weapons, phosphorus bombs and other prohibited means of combat.

"Turkey is not alone in this war"

Malazgirt remarked that Turkey is not alone in this war: "At the recent NATO summit, it became clear that it is an international concept against the Kurdish people. The intensified isolation of Rêber Apo [Abdullah Öcalan], the torture of the friends and patriots resisting in the prisons, the political extermination operations (waves of arrests against civil society), the efforts to silence the free media are part of a liquidation strategy. These facts show that the international powers have given the green light to the mercenaries of Erdoğan and Devlet Bahçelis (MHP leader) and have cleared the way for all kinds of crimes against humanity."

Malazgirt pointed to the Turkish army's special warfare methods and reported that images of bodies of fallen guerrilla fighters being dismembered with axes and knives have been circulated on Turkish state channels. He called for this criminal policy to be exposed by the media: "This issue must be kept permanently on the agenda. We are facing a situation here where the Turkish state does not even care about the corpses of its own soldiers, but throws them into ravines and drops bombs on them. These are crimes against humanity, but the international powers ignore this fact and even participate in it."

The situation in the combat zones

Reporting on the situation in the war zones in Southern Kurdistan, Malazgirt stated that the Turkish army started the invasion in the east of the Zap region but came under massive pressure there and had to regroup. Regarding further developments, the commander stated:

"The occupation forces then extended their attack to the west of Girê Hekarî and Zap. On the Şehîd Şahîn front, very heavy blows were dealt to the enemy under the leadership of Bager and Avzem. The bodies of the soldiers were left at the resistance tunnels and the guerrillas confiscated equipment. All attempts by the enemy to enter the tunnels were thwarted. When the enemy failed to achieve results by using chemical weapons dozens of times, very massive blasts were carried out. This was meant to break the will of the Şehîd Şahîn fighters who were willing to make sacrifices.

At Girê Cehennem, the special forces with their modern technology, much praised by the Turkish state, met resistance from a group of guerrillas. The guerrillas took action against these units and achieved great success through effective, creative actions.

In the Çiyareş area, the soldiers who had advanced far into the terrain were massively hit by guerrillas. In Şikefta Birîndara and Karker, the comrades put up great resistance for three months and neutralised the enemy's murderous attacks. Despite using all kinds of prohibited weapons, the enemy could not achieve any success. Now they are trying to advance into Şikefta Birîndara with armoured excavators and vehicles.

In the resistance area of Werxelê, the guerrillas have been fighting against the Turkish invading forces for three months under the most difficult conditions. Although the enemy uses all inhumane methods against the war tunnels, such as poison gas, huge explosions, burning tyres at the entrance, etc., the friends in Werxelê continue to resist, carrying out actions against the enemy that tries to enter the tunnels.  Military material is often confiscated in the process. For 90 days, the enemy has been trying in vain to capture this mountain by all means.

When the enemy turned towards the Çemço area, the comrades dealt massive blows to them and destroyed some of their armoured vehicles. Clashes have been taking place in this area since the beginning of the war.

During the attacks on Koker, the enemy dropped poison gas. Fierce hand-to-hand fighting took place in the region. In the process, the enemy was hit hard and repulsed dozens of times. Now they are trying to guarantee their success with thermobaric weapons."

Fighting in the west of the Zap region

While on the one hand there is tunnel warfare, the guerrillas' mobile units are also playing a very important role in the resistance, said Malazgirt: "The enemy thought they would succeed in a short time. But when they encountered so much resistance, they extended their attacks to the west of the Zap region in order to present themselves as successful after all. However, they suffered heavy casualties on all the hills in the west of the Zap. Some of the bodies still lie on the cliffs."

Bodies of soldiers in guerrilla area

Malazgirt went on to report that the bodies of some soldiers are in the hands of the guerrillas. He continued, "We never said that the enemy cannot advance, but they cannot get anywhere without paying a heavy price. This is a state that receives great support from outside. But they will not get to any place without sacrifice. Every step they take will cost them. The longer the war goes on, the higher the price will become.

"The guerrillas are everywhere"

Valuable comrades have fallen in this war. They fought in the spirit of the July 14 resistance and on the line of Zîlan. The enemy may have reached some places, but the resistance will continue. The guerrillas are everywhere. On the mountains, in the cities, on the streets, everywhere the resistance will continue to grow. This is a necessity that comes from our attachment to the martyrs."