Since April 23, the Turkish army has been attempting to occupy the Zap, Avashin and Metina regions in the Medya Defense Zones. Guerrillas counter with the Bazên Zagrosê (Falcons of Zagros) and Cenga Xaburê (Battle of Khabur) offensives. Şinda Botan is one of the YJA-Star fighters in the Medya Defense Zones. She spoke to ANF about the prospects of the struggle.

"Isolation on Imrali targets whole people"

Botan begins the conversation with a reference to the isolation of Kurdish leader Abdullah Öcalan: "Every day, the isolation against Rêber Apo (Leader Öcalan) on Imrali is further intensified. In the person of Abdullah Öcalan, the isolation is applied to the entire Kurdish people. With this isolation on Imrali, the enemy is trying to destroy our people. We as freedom guerrillas will not allow this isolation to continue."

"They cannot destroy the guerrillas"

Regarding the military operation of the Turkish army, Botan says: "The enemy is targeting with its occupation operations all the gains won by us until today through the guerrilla struggle. Most of the invasions that have taken place until today failed due to guerrilla resistance. The Kurdish people should know very well that any invasion attempt against the guerrillas is against the Kurdish people. When the enemy launched an operation in Gare in February, it aimed to destroy the guerrillas from their center. The one thing the enemy did not count on when planning this operation was that the guerrillas' resistance would lead to victory. The enemy suffered a major defeat at the hands of the epic resistance of our martyrs at Gare. The same enemy is now conducting operations in the Avashin, Zap and Metina regions. They claim that they will destroy the guerrillas, but they have no idea, the AKP/MHP regime is itself finished and spent. The AKP/MHP government knows that it has been defeated by us, it is counting on its last offensives. Because the policy of this government is based on war.

"People should rise up everywhere"

The Kurdish people and especially the Kurdish youth should rise up everywhere against the invasion of Avashin, Metina and Zap. We as guerrillas will display a revolutionary attitude against the enemy's operations and fight on the line of Rêber Apo. With the perspective of the revolutionary people's war, we will fulfill our duties and tasks and achieve victory. We will defeat the enemy with the professionalized guerrilla warfare created by the restructuring of the HPG and YJA-Star. No one will be able to stop our struggle and that of our people until Rêber Apo is liberated. No one will be able to stop the young people who are flocking to the guerrillas. Young Kurds will join the guerrilla struggle and come to the mountains. This war is not just a guerrilla war, but a revolutionary people's war. Everyone should rise up and take responsibility in this process themselves.

"Youth to the mountains"

We are fulfilling our revolutionary responsibility for the liberation of Rêber Apo and to make the bounty on our comrades Cemil Bayık, Murat Karayılan and Duran Kalkan fail. We are fighting on the front line in the offensive and will achieve victory by frustrating the enemy's operations - even if only one of us remains. The guerrilla war continues. We will never choose the line of betrayal. As guerrillas, we will always pursue the line of resistance. The Medya Defense Zones will be the grave of the enemy. Not even the name of the enemy will remain in Kurdistan. Our people must stand up and take action. I appeal to all Kurdish youth: Do not let the enemy's special war destroy your spirit, come to the mountains and fight against the enemy. Let us join hands and secure victory together. Together we will liberate Rêber Apo."