The Press Center of the People's Defence Forces (HPG) published a five-month balance sheet of the war in the guerrilla-held Medya Defence Zones in southern Kurdistan (northern Iraq). The Turkish state had declared in advance that it would be able to successfully complete the invasion of the regions of Zap, Avaşîn and Metîna within a short time. However, it is facing fierce resistance and its operation seems to be stuck. In particular, the shooting down of ten helicopters also puts the supply of troops in question. Meanwhile, the guerrillas are fighting a tunnel war as well as in the field with small mobile units that combine to form larger operations. Most importantly, the guerrillas combine various war tactics such as surprise assaults on occupying forces, sabotage actions and the use of heavy weapons and snipers. This form of guerrilla warfare leads to massive losses for the Turkish army.

The statement issued by the HPG Press Centre on the balance sheet of the Turkish army's invasion launched in April and the resistance of the guerrillas said: "The comprehensive attacks of the Turkish colonial fascism have been going on for five months now. The Turkish army, which thought that it would achieve its aims according to plan within the shortest possible time, came up against the walls of the Apoist resistance of the Kurdistan Freedom Guerrilla. The guerrillas had prepared for this resistance in the long term and are making the tactics of the new era the basis of their struggle. The fact that our forces effectively combine the form of tunnel warfare and that of mobile units, implement them creatively and do not give the enemy any breathing space with their daily actions, made all the plans of the Turkish army fail. The Turkish army thought that it could achieve results within a few weeks. For this reason, the invasion operation was extended and when the Turkish army extended the scale of the attacks in order to break the deadlock, it had the opposite effect. It is only stuck deeper in a quagmire." The HPG alluded, among other things, to the expansion of the Turkish invasion to areas west of the Zap. This expansion is seen by the HPG as an increase in the guerrillas' targets.

2004 war crimes documented

The HPG further stated: "In order to achieve its goals, the Turkish state ruthlessly used all the technology at its disposal against the resistance areas: from fighter jets to unmanned aerial vehicles, from attack helicopters to all kinds of tanks, artillery and armoured vehicles. The Turkish state had the resistance areas bombed hundreds of times every day and mobilised all official and paramilitary forces, from contract soldiers to commando units, from mercenaries to counter-guerrillas, from elite units to special forces. When the Turkish state could not achieve success with these, it used internationally outlawed bombs and chemical weapons, from poison gas to phosphorus bombs, from thermobaric weapons to tactical nuclear weapons. These were used especially against positions and tunnels. The Turkish state committed war crimes 2004 times to achieve its goals and these crimes were documented by our forces. Despite all these measures, the invading forces could not prevail. In these five months, the Turkish state suffered the biggest losses in its history in the war against the guerrillas. If we look at the results of the five-month war, it is obvious that it is not a success for the Turkish state, but a clear defeat."

105 guerrillas have fallen

Regarding the number of fallen guerrilla fighters, HPG said, "It was not easy to stop the Turkish state's comprehensive occupation operation, which was openly supported by the international powers and the collaborating, treacherous Kurdish forces, and to prevent it from achieving its goals. The Kurdistan Freedom Guerrilla have put everything on the line at great sacrifice, and our comrades have carried out this epic resistance with a willingness to sacrifice that history can rarely bear witness to. Our five-month resistance is based on the solidarity with Rêber Apo [Abdullah Öcalan], the martyrs and our oppressed people, on our Apoist will, sacrifice, belief in victory and absolute determination. This resistance, which is one of the most unjust and disproportionate wars in the history of mankind in terms of distribution of resources, numbers and war technology, could only be created through the self-sacrificing struggle of the guerrillas. Based on this spirit and consciousness, our comrades in the resistance have correctly applied the style and tactics of the guerrilla of democratic modernity and have achieved the highest war performance on a professional level. Our 105 comrades who fell in these five months have written an unprecedented epic of courage."

Ten helicopters shot down, 2132 occupants killed

Regarding the balance of the Turkish army's losses, the HPG stated: "1881 actions were carried out by our units in the tunnels and the mobile units. These units fought professionally and with high striking power. Air defence force actions, revolutionary operations, infiltration, sabotage, snipers, ambushes, heavy weapons, skirmishes, shelling and other coordinated guerrilla tactics were skillfully used in combination. In these operations, as far as can be ascertained, 2132 occupants were punished and ten helicopters were shot down and destroyed. The number of invaders killed in the downed helicopters is not included in these figures as it could not be determined. The Turkish state and its special war media hid the losses and the truth about the war from the people of Turkey and the public and took refuge in ever new lies. However, the reality was documented and filmed by our forces as much as possible and every aspect of the war, including the names and equipment of punished soldiers, was made available to the public. On this basis, the footage of 43 successful guerrilla actions was broadcast on Gerîla TV.

Although the Turkish army has suffered the heaviest losses in its history, it continues to insist on the war and its occupation objective. Against this, the epic resistance of our forces continues in all its strength. Five months have passed, but the fierce war continues.

Five-month balance sheet

The balance sheet of the guerrillas from 14 April to 14 September reads:

- 1881 actions were carried out in the form of revolutionary operations, raids, infiltrations, sabotage, snipers, ambushes, heavy weapons, skirmishes, coordinated guerrilla actions and actions of the air defence forces.

Results of the actions

- A total of 2132 members of the occupation forces were killed, including 12 counter-guerrillas and 13 senior military officers.

- 290 members of the occupation forces were injured.

Attacks on the Medya Defence Zones

- 3274 attacks by fighter jets

- 3185 attacks by combat helicopters

- 2004 attacks with prohibited weapons on war tunnels and guerrilla positions. Phosphorus bombs, thermobaric bombs and explosive devices similar to tactical nuclear weapons were used.

Confiscated military equipment

- 10 MPT-55 infantry rifles

- 4 AK-47 infantry rifles

- 3 G-3 infantry rifles

- 3 grenade launchers

- 2 M-16 infantry rifles

- 2 HK-416 infantry rifles

- 1 BKC machine gun

- 1 B-7 rocket launcher

- 1 MPT-66 infantry rifle

- 4 pistols

- 4 grenade launcher cartridges

- 848 rounds of M-16 and BKC ammunition

- 18 hand grenades and numerous smoke grenades

- 4 assault waistcoats (steel)

- 4 steel shields

- 2 cartridge belts

- 9 magazines

- 7 day/night binoculars

- 3 thermal binoculars

- 3 laser pointers

- 2 infrared scopes

- 1 thermal imaging camera

- 1 binoculars with laser pointer

- 4 surveillance camera systems

- 3 head-mounted cameras

- 1 portable radar system

- 24 kg of explosives

- 4 mines

- 1 remote mine detonator

- 1 mine detector

- 6 mobile phones

- 3 radios

- 1 solar energy panel

- 1 compass

- 4 knives (bayonet)

- 6 military rucksacks

- 2 barrettes

- 2 helmets

- 9 torches

- 2 UPS power converters

- 1 powerbank

Destroyed military materiel

- 7 Sikorsky helicopters

- 3 attack helicopters

- 2 tanks

- 15 armoured military vehicles

- 3 excavators

- 50 surveillance camera systems

- 42 drones

- 7 radar systems

- 5 thermal imaging cameras

- 2 telescopes

- 3 signal jammers

- 3 motion sensors

- 2 audio interceptors

- 1 photo trap

- 1 container

- 78 emplacements

- 22 military tents

- 1 camouflage net

- 1 chemical weapons delivery system

- 1 weapons cache

- 5 A4 weapons

- 2 BKC machine guns

- 60 kg of explosives

- 5 explosive devices

Damaged military materiel

- 39 Sikorsky  helicopters

- 31 attack helicopters

- 16 emplacements

- 12 drones

- 9 excavators

- 4 armoured military vehicles