The press center of the People's Defense Forces (HPG) has released a weekly balance sheet of the war in Southern Kurdistan (Kurdistan Region of Iraq). The report covers the period from April 17 to 24 and includes an overview of the Turkish army's attacks, responses against them, and data on casualties in the ranks of the guerrillas and the occupation forces.

The weekly balance sheet includes the following:

"The Turkish occupying state sees the Kurdish resistance as the biggest obstacle in front of its dream to colonize the whole Middle East starting from Kurdistan and has set as its main goal to destroy the Kurdistan Freedom Guerrilla as the legitimate representative of the Kurdish people's struggle. Within this framework, it has been pumping all financial resources into the dirty war in Kurdistan since July 2015. Every area where the guerrillas are located has been attacked countless times since then. For its intention to liquidate the PKK, to force the will of our people to surrender and to commit genocide against the Kurds, the Turkish state receives direct and indirect support from collaborative local forces that it has recruited into its ranks. Any attack launched against us on this basis will be met with the unwavering will of the free Kurdistan guerrillas.

All-out war

The Turkish occupying state is bombarding the geography of Kurdistan dozens of times every day with sophisticated weapon technology, primarily using fighter jets. Nevertheless, because it cannot reach its targeted objective, it launched a full-scale invasion into the Zap and Avaşîn areas on the evening of April 17 with the aim of further occupying Kurdish territory. This attack is no ordinary operation or offensive, but an all-out war that has already exceeded the level of interstate armed conflict.

The invasion was launched with massive air strikes starting on April 14. Then, on the night of April 17, the occupying Turkish army attempted to airdrop its soldiers in guerrilla areas under the cover of attack by attack helicopters. Without hesitation, our forces responded immediately in all affected regions, putting attack and transport helicopters under fire and preventing occupiers from landing in many areas. In the following days, under the cover of night, the Turkish army repeatedly attempted to airdrop troops in our areas. Each attempt was answered by our forces accordingly, and eleven helicopters were hit as a result. Therefore, the Turkish army evaded to the land route. Their calculation to be able to airdrop their soldiers without resistance, in order to achieve positive results on the first day, did not work out. The guerrilla resistance has frustrated this plan, as the first step of the invasion has already been torpedoed. Since the fourth day of the invasion, in the face of heavy blows from our forces, the war criminal Turkish army has been using toxic chemical substances against some of the defensive positions in the resistance areas of Kuro Jahro, Werxelê, Şehîd Şahîn, Kunîşka and Girê Ortê.

KDP paves the way for the attack

The Turkish state is supported by the KDP (Kurdistan Democratic Party) in its invasion of southern Kurdistan. The attack on the Zap does not come from the north, but from the south via the KDP -controlled Bamernê-Amêdî-Dêrelûk line. The KDP is thus paving the way for the attack on the guerrilla areas; its actions are tantamount to a stab in the back. KDP troops have taken up positions in the rear of Kuro Jahro and are attempting to encircle the guerrilla areas. This state of affairs has continued since the war began a week ago. So far, there has been no change in the KDP's stance.

Creative actions by the guerrillas

Our forces have turned all of their territories into resistance strongholds and imposed a heavy blow on the occupiers. A high war performance has been demonstrated through the effective and skillful use of modern-day guerrilla tactics by our mobile units, ranging from sabotage and sniper actions to infiltrations, ambushes, raids, and heavy weapons attacks. In addition to the activities of mobile guerrilla units, our forces have also conducted coordinated and complex assaults and have been in action throughout the past week using the full spectrum of high-intensity warfare at all hours of the day and night. The fact that these actions were implemented under vanguard of the YJA Star forces demonstrated once again the level of militancy and command that the resistant Kurdish woman equipped with our liberation ideology has achieved. The level that the freedom guerrilla of Kurdistan has today points to a historical importance for the people of Kurdistan and our future.

Eleven guerrillas martyred in Zap and Avaşîn

Our fallen friends were the ones who dealt the heaviest blow to the occupiers from the first moment of the attacks. They led this historic resistance of the Kurdistan Freedom Guerrilla and fought until their last bullet, until they joined the caravan of the martyrs. The great courage, unwavering will and merits of our fallen companions determined the direction of the selfless war that our forces will wage from now on. We remember with love, respect and gratitude the eleven martyrs who gave their lives in the struggle for Zap and Avaşîn and showed us the path to follow. We promise to crown their memory with victory.

In resisting the invasion, the guerrillas are making history every moment, thwarting the dirty plans of the Turkish occupation state and showing the world that the Apoist line cannot be defeated. The weekly balance sheet on the war is as follows:

Guerrilla actions

Infiltration: 3

Raids: 3

Coordinated actions: 7

Sniper actions: 23

Actions with heavy weapons: 29

Guerrilla sabotages: 29

Firefights: 58

Attacks by the Turkish army

Air strikes by fighter jets: 387

Artillery attacks by combat helicopters and ground troops: 243

Chemical warfare agent deployments against guerrilla positions: 7

Turkish army casualties

Number of soldiers killed: 218

Number of soldiers injured: 48

In addition, four Turkish drones were shot down by the guerrillas, while a camera surveillance system, a machine gun nest and a position were completely destroyed. Another drone and eleven helicopters were hit and damaged.