On September 2, 2021 alone, the Turkish army used poison gas seven times against guerrillas entrenched in war tunnels in the Werxelê area in the region of Avaşîn in southern Kurdistan. The Turkish army has been trying to capture the strategically important region for 90 days. Since the chemical weapons missions have so far been unsuccessful, the army is varying the type and quantity of chemicals being used.

RESISTANCE AGAINST CHEMICAL ATTACK

On September 2, 2021, starting from the early hours of the morning, the Turkish army used chemical weapons 7 times against the guerrillas resisting in the Werxelê battle tunnels. Turkish troops who keep changing the amount and type of chemical weapons after each unsuccessful attack, could not eliminate the guerrillas resisting in the Werxelê resistance area on the 90th day of the resistance.

The outcomes of that two-day war were as follows: The entire area, specifically the Werxelê battle tunnels, was under heavy attack at first, and after the howitzer and mortar attacks came from the border outposts, fighter jets targeted some tunnels and tons of barrel bombs were dropped. In the evening hours, attack helicopters appeared. However, since the helicopters flew low altitude, they were targeted and shot down by the guerrilla forces. Thus, the planned sorties of helicopters were often frustrated. In other words, when the guerrilla forces hit the helicopters, they had to leave the area.

These attacks continued intermittently until the morning hours. In the morning hours, the Turkish forces attacked with explosives at first, and then they constantly commenced fire with medium weapons. In the meantime, they started to use the chemical weapons they prepared specifically for this attack. Wearing special uniform and gas masks, they moved to the battle positions, and then they stopped firing and released chemical gases into the entrances of the battle tunnels. It happens many times that guerrillas reorient chemical gases back to the soldiers. However, the guerrilla forces mostly manage to protect themselves with different countermeasures.

As can be seen in a video footage, the Turkish soldiers first use a burning machine that throws off flames against the battle tunnels in the Werxelê Resistance Area. Then they prepare the machine they use to release poisonous gas. Then they release poisonous gas inside the tunnels with this machine. After a short time, the guerrillas resisting in the Werxelê battle tunnels manage to reorient the course of the chemical gases with the methods they developed. When the Turkish soldiers with their masks on their faces see how the gases come back at the tunnel entrance, they immediately leave the area.

On September 3, 2021, YJA Star guerrillas in the Avaşin region killed 5 Turkish soldiers in an infiltration action from two directions. The next day, Turkish soldiers turned to the Werxelê resistance areas to avenge their casualties and attacked the Werxelê resistance area 17 times. After all these attacks were frustrated by the guerrilla forces, the Turkish army readopted its inhumane practices in the following days and continued its attacks with chemical bombs.