Around thirty European internationalists from France, Switzerland and different territories of the Spanish State have gone to Qandil to support the actions of defense of the civilian population led by the Patriotic Youth and the Young Women's Movement.

For months the Turkish army has been bombarding civilian areas in the Qandil mountains under the pretext of the "PKK presence". In recent weeks, the military invasion campaign has increased with the deployment of troops on the ground of the Federal Kurdistan Region in Iraq, against all international legislation.

The Patriotic Youth and the Young Women's Movement launched a human shield campaign on June 8 to try to prevent attacks by the Turkish army, which has already claimed dozens of civilian lives and caused irreparable damage in the region.

The action is being supported from different parts of the world. About a week ago the "19 July Brigade" from the Spanish State joined the action. This delegation was already in Southern Kurdistan last year in an international solidarity project in the Makhmur refugee camp.

The Brigade has told ANF how in recent days in Qandil their areas has been bombed by Turkish drones and F16 aircraft. In spite of this, they have been able to see how life continues in Qandil.

During the week in which they have stayed with the Kurdish youth, they have visited the houses of the martyrs, exchanging different political visions and strengthening ties between peoples.

Their goal there, as they say in a statement, is to raise awareness within the international community about the Turkish invasion, to achieve a space of air exclusion and to support the Kurdish revolution.

The statement can be read below:

"For more than a month and a half, the "Serhildan" (Uprising) campaign promoted by the youth organization Patriotic Youth branch of Komalen Ciwan, the youth umbrella organization of the Kurdistan Liberation Movement has been underway in South Kurdistan.

This campaign takes place in the context of the constant air strikes by the Turkish army on the Qandil mountains and the Turkish army invasion up to 30km inside the border of Southern Kurdistan (Regional Government of Kurdistan in Iraq). The objective of the civil campaign is to exercise the work of human shields to deter Turkish aviation from bombarding the population.

A famous Kurdish saying says that "There are no friends other than the mountains" due to their historical relationship with them, which have served as shelter and defense for different rebellions against the States that have tried to assimilate or exterminate them. The mountains that act as a natural border between Turkey, Iran and Iraq, called by the Kurdish Liberation Movement as Medya Defense Zones, serve as a reference for the different struggles for democracy, freedom and equality in the 4 parts of Kurdistan. As long as the mountains remain on their side, their struggle will continue.

From the July 19 Brigade we demanded a no-fly zone for all of Southern Kurdistan, as well as compliance with international legislation and with it the complete withdrawal of the Turkish army from all territory beyond its borders. With our presence in the Medya Defense Zones we want to contribute to the international awareness of this conflict and to a process of reducing tension and war that will help the democratic forces in Kurdistan to deepen their project of Democratic Autonomy that would allow a peace solution to 40 years of armed conflict."