Gerîla TV broadcast footage of Turkish Akıncı, Bayraktar TB2 and ANKA unmanned combat aerial vehicles (UCAVs) shot down on different dates in the guerrilla-held Medya Defence Zones in southern Kurdistan (northern Iraq).

The People’s Defence Forces Central Headquarters Command said on 20 March that the guerrilla forces had shot down 15 Turkish armed drones with surface-to-air missiles over South Kurdistan between 13 February 2023 and 1 March 2024.

The HPG’s statement followed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) Executive Committee member Murat Karayilan’s interview on March 15, saying that they would announce “good news” on the eve of Newroz, Kurdish New Year.

“Despite all the efforts of the enemy (Turkish state) to isolate our people in the international arena, the Kurdish people’s efforts matched the Turkish state’s efforts and our people were able to provide the missile system necessary for this war. The Kurdistan Freedom Guerrilla has had the opportunity and ability to neutralize the UCAVs that the Turkish state and its army rely on, propagandize the abilities of it everywhere, try to change the balance of war based on it, and carry out assassinations and massacres with it in Kurdistan every day. Since February 13, 2023, a total of 15 UAVs of various types have been shot down by our forces,” said the HPG statement on Wednesday.