Murat Karayilan, commander of the headquarters of the People's Defense Forces (Hêzên Parastina Gel, HPG), addressed the public with a greeting from the Medya Defense Zones on the anniversary of the start of the armed struggle of the PKK on 15 August 1984. We publish the message below in English translation:

"With respect, we greet you from the mountains of Kurdistan and express our congratulations on the Day of Resurrection. On the 36th anniversary of the guerrilla initiative of August 15, we congratulate the Kurdish people, all peoples of the Middle East, all comrades, our collaborators and sympathisers. We wish you all good luck in the coming year of struggle. On behalf of all our friends, we congratulate Rêber Apo [Abdullah Ocalan] and express our commitment and respect.

These sublime days have been achieved thanks to the efforts of Rêber Apo and the sacrifices of our selfless martyrs. In the person of comrade Mahsum Korkmaz - the legendary commander Egîd - we commemorate the martyrs of the revolution of Kurdistan who sealed these days with their blood. We bow before their memory and repeat the promise we made to them: We will not leave their weapons on the ground, we will achieve their ideals and keep their memory alive with a free Chairman and a free Kurdistan.

Message of condolence to the Iraqi people

On 11 August, a brutal attack took place in the Bradast region against the border guards of the Iraqi army. In this attack our commander and esteemed comrade Agit Garzan (Murat Kalko) was martyred. Our friend Agit resisted in the mountains of Kurdistan for almost 28 years in many ways for his people, took part in the war, was wounded four times and made great sacrifices. The Iraqi commanders Zubair Hali and Mohammed Rushdi Sulaiman also fell in this attack while two Iraqi soldiers were injured. We express our condolences to the families of all three commanders, to the peoples of Kurdistan and Iraq and to the Iraqi Government. We firmly believe that the blood spilled will not go unpunished and that retaliation will follow the attack.

This attack was directed against the Iraqi army which had invited our friends. The attack took place when both sides were in the same vehicle and did not take place in an area under our control, but at the meeting point chosen by the Iraqi army. In this respect, this attack was directly directed against the Iraqi army, and the bombed vehicles were marked with Iraqi flags. The attack was intentional.

The leaders of the Autonomous Region of Kurdistan said several times that the PKK and the Turkish state have taken their war to Southern Kurdistan. As far as the attack on the Iraqi army is concerned, there is no question of an incident within the framework of armed conflicts. There was a meeting that was followed by an attack. Such statements are not true. Even statements such as 'The PKK is going to the border, attacking the Turkish army and fleeing to Southern Kurdistan' are absolutely untrue. For three or four years, the Turkish occupying army has been taking concrete steps towards the annexation of South Kurdistan territory. So, the war was not carried here by us but by the occupying forces. They attack and occupy the territories of South Kurdistan.

Defending the achievements of the Kurdish people

The war in Heftanin, Xakurke and in the Zap region is taking place because we are fighting in North Kurdistan. We have promised to defend all the achievements of the Kurdish people and we are keeping to it. The enemy is invading here in front of all of us, occupying areas, building [military] roads and getting deployed permanently. This is what we are fighting against. We defend the achievements of the people of South Kurdistan, the people of Kurdistan and the territories of Iraq.

Only under the condition that the Turkish occupying army withdraws from Iraqi territory and Southern Kurdistan and stops its attacks, we are ready not to take any action at the border. What we are doing is a national resistance against the Turkish occupation. Everyone should be aware of this situation and reality. If the battle against the Turkish invasion in Heftanin, which has been going on for two months, had not existed, large parts of the border area would have been occupied by now. Our defence is a legitimate resistance. There is an attack on the territory of Kurdistan, which is being responded to with a resistant attitude and this is for everyone.

15 August is a guarantee of the Kurdish existence

The initiative of 15 August prevented the extermination of the people of North Kurdistan and made the Kurdish people exist. The Turkish colonialism wanted to annihilate our people and turn Kurdistan into the centre of fundamentalism. However, through 15 August, Kurdistan became the pivot of the liberation struggle, democracy and women's liberation. It created a national consciousness in the society and secured the Kurdish existence. However, this advance did not only pave the way for developments in the North (of Kurdistan), but also helped an organisation in the West. If the 15 August initiative had not taken place, especially the guerrilla wars in the years 1988 to 1991, our people in South Kurdistan would not have been able to recover after the massacres of Anfal and Halabja. The same is also true for East Kurdistan.

The Kurdish society is not only divided into four parts - the division is even broader. The most diverse faiths, religions, dialects, tribes and regions equally form the core of this division. The 15 August initiative triggered a defragmentation. Based on the maxim of Rêber Apo - 'First the nation, then religion and dialects' - this initiative created a national spirit and developed a national strategy that has strengthened the hand of the Kurdish people in the Middle East. On the basis of this strategy, our people were able to fight against the fascism of the ISIS, a plague of the whole humanity, and play a decisive role in ending its rule. The Kurdish and Arab people have defeated the ISIS together. Thus, the Kurdish people manoeuvred themselves as a serious actor on the stage. This is a fact. The influences of 15 August and the freedom guerilla of Kurdistan are not debatable in this respect.

Defeat against guerrilla leads to chaos and crises

For six years, Turkish colonialism has been expanding its war technology with the support of NATO's Gladio Alliance. Especially after the acquisition of unmanned combat drones, the occupying forces thought: 'With this, I can liquidate the guerrillas and even reclaim the areas within the old borders of the Ottoman Empire'. Erdoğan personally signed his name and raved about a drone power. This is exactly how their war against us has been going on for six years. Rêber Apo has been subjected an aggravated isolation. Enormous pressure is being exerted on Kurdish-Turkish democratic policy, arrests are being made, a campaign of annihilation is taking place. Our people are being subjected to fascist repression, while the freedom guerrillas are under widespread attack throughout Kurdistan with the ultimate goal of their annihilation. Even concrete timetables for the extermination have been mentioned.

The result today is; they did not succeed, they were defeated. For this reason, chaos is prevailing in the fascist system of AKP and MHP, the crisis has worsened. If they had been successful against us, they would not have experienced this crisis. But the defeat pushed them into a deep chaos. Today the genocidal and fascist regime can survive only through wars. By reinforcing nationalist-chauvinist feelings in society, this regime wants to maintain and consolidate the existence of its war-oriented system. As the regime does not achieve the desired effect by waging war against us, the war policy is pursued beyond its own borders. It is attacking Syria, Iraq and Libya, playing games on the backs of the Arab peoples, applying a policy of persecution. In recent days, this regime has provoked a conflict with Greece in the Mediterranean.

A new guerilla is developing

Turkish fascism tries to remain standing by means of wars and oppression, but this doesn’t work anymore. The Kurdish freedom guerrilla has proved itself dozens of times and proved that it cannot be defeated and will pave the way for victory. The guerrilla of Kurdistan has the ambition to create a new guerrilla based on the philosophy of Rêber Apo. Its practice already reflects the goal of developing a guerilla of democratic modernity with creative ways and methods. The existing deficits will be eliminated and nothing will stop it from being the guerrilla of victory and success.

Resistance has been continuing in Heftanin for two months. The armed and unmanned reconnaissance planes, which the occupying forces like to call "legendary", were reduced to rubble in Heftanin. All their forces are trapped there, a war is taking place. Our request to our people, especially those in the South, to the Arab and Iraqi people is that they support us. We are determined to defeat this enemy. In Heftanin, we have put them in a state of shock; if they come into the Zap region, we will bury them under the ground. My words are not just said because we have 36 years of combat experience. We know only too well how to thwart their technique, how to use tactics, style and technique to enrich our fight on the ground and how to fight and win in underground tunnels. This is a delicate phase, but the guerrilla will play their part. This is the point that we are clearly stating on the 36th anniversary of our initiative. Our people should also play their part. We are guided by the perspective of Rêber Apo - the reality of a popular war. Our people, women and youth have duties that must be fulfilled.

Every action in Europe has a political and diplomatic impact

To mark its 36th anniversary, we want to revive the 15th of August. In Europe there are protests of our people, which are important. The fact that the CPT recently declared that there is isolation on Imrali strengthens the basis and legitimacy of the resistance. Any action in Europe has a political and diplomatic impact. Whether at home or abroad, as long as the people who love their homeland, the women and the youth fulfil their role, extend the popular war, form an alliance with the Arab people, as long as the Kurdish and Arab people support each other, the chauvinist wave of the AKP/MHP regime can be smashed.

In the new year of struggle, our resistance will become even hotter, more modern on the tracks of Egîd and the first shot, towards being a force of victory. We remember all our selfless martyrs of the revolution, from the first, Egîd to the last, from Şehîd Zekî Şengalî to Erdal [Engin Sincer] and Atakan Mahir. We celebrate the Day of National Resurrection once again, wish everyone the best of success and say: Long live 15 August! Long live Rêber Apo."