The Civil Defense Units (Yekîneyên Parastina Sivîl, YPS) and the women's organisation YPS-JIN have announced a "revenge offensive against imperialists and their accomplices" in Northern Kurdistan. In a press release, the coordination of the two youth organisations described the background, aims and implementation of the offensive. In the following, we give the statement:

"No political or military force, although on the verge of disintegration, dissolution or weakness, will disappear from the scene as long as its existence is not ended by another force. No political or military force will transfer its sovereignty to another without further ado. This rule of thumb is especially true for fascist structures. From past experiences we are only too well aware of the reality of fascism. In Kurdistan and Turkey, fascism has been institutionalized by the AKP/MHP.

Just like its historical predecessors, this new edition of fascism will not leave the field without outside influence but will only collapse with the fist of revolutionary resistance. The resistance developed so far has already pushed fascism to the threshold of disintegration. That is why its motto is: more and more fascism, more and more massacres.

Human history is full of social resistance for democratic rights and freedoms defended against oppressors, colonialists, fascists and status quo states. In streets, neighborhoods, villages, towns and cities, the peoples' sense of freedom displaced the statist and domineering mentality and developed into revolutions that shaped human history. The resistances for self-government that were fought in Northern Kurdistan mark an important development in the revolutionary process of the Kurdish liberation struggle. The army of fascism came and attacked our people with genocidal intention, but literally shattered at the legendary self-government resistance. The goal of defending existence and freedom combined with conscious and active action for self-defence and expanded the people's front while the enemy front was disrupted. Beginning in Cizre, Sur and Silopi, the resistance expanded to Nusaybin, Şırnak, Gever and Idil and united the people and the guerrillas in a revolutionary people's war. Martyrs like Çiyager, Zeryan, Xebatkar, Çeko, Êriş, Ruken, Islam and Axîn, who were immortalized by the selfless spirit of this resistance, were not only pioneers who practically demonstrated the way in which the freedom struggle is carried out victoriously. They also showed how colonialism can be smashed. 

Now more than ever is the time of revolutionary militants, pioneering patriots. It is the time of successors of Çiyager, Zeryan and Mehmet Tunç. It is the time to spend life not at home but in resistance. Therefore, it is the time to develop a successful line of resistance against the AKP/MHP fascism which is on the verge of collapse, based on the revolutionary strategy of the people's war. Only in this way can this fascist dictatorship be completely pushed off the scene. The only revolutionary and patriotic duty at present is to develop this line of struggle.

The line between loss of the basis of existence and self-liberation is a thin one, as the history of our people documents. Only through our resistance could we reach the point where we stand today. Our chairman Abdullah Öcalan has led offensives against the genocidal system and achieved results. Even in the island prison of Imrali, in conditions of total isolation, he achieved a result with an offensive style. This style of leadership is an essential feature of our resistance tradition.

The basis of all the achievements made in the reality of Kurdistan is this determination. With the strength and morale that this tradition of struggle gives us, and with the knowledge that resistance is the only way to bring genocidal fascism and its accomplices to account for the massacres against our people, we as YPS and YPS-JIN start our ‘revenge offensive against the imperialists and their accomplices'. Until the fascist dictatorship is annihilated and its accomplices and supporters are rendered ineffective, the existence and freedom of the Kurdish people cannot be guaranteed. The fact that we are waging a war against fascism for existence and non-existence cannot be denied. There can be no life with fascism which can only be destroyed through resistance and battle.

It is necessary to extend and develop resistance and struggle to all areas of life. The institutions, individuals and structures of fascist colonialism are everywhere. Through the comfort of fascism and the atmosphere created by the special war in Kurdistan, the fascists and their supporters are moving unhindered in our cities and villages, enticing our families to betray their values with great ruthlessness. It is obvious that we, as revolutionary and patriotic sons and daughters of our people, cannot stand by and watch these goings-on. As part of the offensive we have launched, we will not let this network of agents and their supporters act unrequited. In this sense, our units must not delay the planning of their practical operations. Without limiting their room for maneuver because of the Coronavirus pandemic, they should develop creative options and act in accordance with the offensive style.

Given the historical responsibility that our experience brings with it, there are possibilities and methods that each of us can use in the cities, neighbourhoods and villages to strengthen resistance. Enemies are not only soldiers and the police. Also in everyday life there are traitors who are after the 'free Kurd' and his life. All collaborators and supporters who infiltrated our society and are working for the preservation of AKP/MHP fascism belong to the list of enemies. These people, who feel protected within neighbourly and family relations, who take advantage of the warm social relations of the Kurdish people, create a more dangerous situation than the Coronavirus. We should protect ourselves from them and keep our distance. Supporters of fascism are not even worth waving a greeting.

We have not forgotten Mehmet Tunç and Sêvê Demirel, who selflessly resisted for self-government, nor have we forgotten the brutal massacres of the state at that time. Over the past four years, every moment has passed by mixing our anger with the fire of revenge that burns within us. Framed with the offensive style of Şehîd Çiyager, we have restructured ourselves and rushed to the task of this time - to demand accountability from the AKP/MHP regime. As long as the isolation of our mastermind is not lifted, as long as we cannot live a free life, as long as the genocidal attacks do not come to an end, we will take revenge actions under all circumstances".

After reading the statement, the YPS/YPS-JIN commented on the first action in the revenge offensive. According to this, one of their units carried out a sabotage against Selahattin Yildirim, a Kurdish-born paramilitary of the notorious "Dagger Unit" (Hançer Timi), in Dergule village of Şırnak on April 27. These counter-guerrilla forces gained notoriety in the 1990s for crimes such as kidnapping, extortion, torture and rape against the Kurdish civilian population. According to the YPS, Yildirim, who was seriously injured in the action, has participated in massacres perpetrated by the Turkish military during the curfews and siege in Northern Kurdistan between 2015 and 2016 and in military operations against the guerrilla. "He has been fighting his own people and is responsible for the death of many patriotic Kurds. Yildirim also participated in the attack on the guerrilla cemetery in the Gabar region."