Guerrillas shoot down a military helicopter and a drone of the Turkish army

Guerrillas have shot down a military helicopter and a Turkish army drone as they continue inflicting blows to the Turkish occupation army in the guerrilla-held Medya Defense Zones in southern Kurdistan (northern Iraq).

In its daily statement about the ongoing war in Kurdistan, the Press Centre of the People's Defense Forces (HPG) reported that guerrillas had shot down a transport helicopter and a Turkish army drone and destroyed three surveillance camera systems in Medya Defense Zones.

Pointing to the continued war crimes of the Turkish army, HPG appealed to the conscience and sense of responsibility of the public:

"Our forces are putting up an incomparable resistance under the most difficult conditions to defend the existence and freedom of the Kurdish people. The Turkish occupation forces cannot break the resistance of our forces. Therefore, they attack every day with brutal methods and trample the values of humanity. They use banned chemical weapons without scruples and commit war crimes. Chemical weapons, thermobaric bombs, tactical nuclear bombs and phosphorus bombs have been used thousands of times during the course of the occupation attacks since 14 April until today. The international hegemonic powers remain silent about this out of self-interest, and there is no sufficient reaction from the public and institutions. We have documented the war crimes of the Turkish army and made them public. We think that all those who have a conscience and a sense of responsibility should show the necessary reaction. The fascist AKP/MHP regime commits these war crimes in the name of the people of Turkey and makes the people complicit. Therefore, it is the society in Turkey that should protest the most. The Turkish occupation army has attacked the guerrillas’ resistance areas 22 times with tactical nuclear bombs and chemical weapons, 18 times with attack helicopters and dozens of times with tanks and heavy weapons. At the same time, it used a phosphorus bomb in the fighting positions in the resistance area of Şikefta Birîndara."

The HPG statement gave the following details on the latest guerrilla actions:

Xakurke

In the Şêxzade area of Xakurke, mobile guerrilla units destroyed two surveillance cameras installed by the Turkish army on 20 August. After the action, drones over the area were fired at and driven away.

Girê Hekarî

On 18 August, Turkish troops in Metîna advanced from Girê Çarçel, where KDP units are stationed, towards the Şehîd Piling tunnel in the Girê Hekarî resistance area and were struck by mobile guerrilla groups. The soldiers retreated and the area was subsequently bombed by fighter jets.

Girê Amêdî

On 19 August, a Sikorsky transport helicopter was shot at from close range by mobile guerrilla units during an attempted airdrop operation at the Şehîd Gelhat tunnel. The badly hit helicopter crashed across the border near the Girê base in the Çukurca district of Hakkari and burnt out completely.

On 20 August, a soldier was shot dead at Girê Amêdî. Afterwards, a drone flew over the area and was destroyed by a YJA Star mobile unit.

Today, at six o'clock in the morning, the guerrillas hit a Turkish unit with firearms and hand grenades.

Girê Cûdî

In the Girê Cûdî resistance area, a Turkish advance was repulsed by guerrillas using sabotage tactics on Saturday, and a surveillance camera was destroyed.