The Press Centre of the People's Defence Forces (HPG) has issued a statement on the current status of Turkey's invasion campaign in the guerrilla-held Medya Defense Zones in southern Kurdistan (northern Iraq.   The Turkish army carried out massive air strikes on the regions of Zap, Avaşîn and Metîna from 14 April 2022 and launched a ground operation on 17 April. The aim of the comprehensive operation is to occupy the Medya Defence Zones, according to the HPG statement, which includes the following:

"The Kurdistan Freedom Guerrillas put up epic resistance and stood up to the occupation operation by employing creative guerrilla tactics and using the terrain and war tunnels in a professional way with specially trained teams. The Turkish army kept its air-dropped soldiers in place and tried for eight months to break the guerrillas' superiority. To do this, it used all the war technology at its disposal from the air and on the ground. The resistance areas were bombed countless times and chemical weapons and prohibited bombs were systematically used thousands of times to achieve results.

Nevertheless, the army could not implement its occupation plan as desired and could not defend itself against the blows of the Democratic Modernity guerrillas equipped with the Apoist spirit of sacrifice. In particular, the revolutionary operations at Girê Cûdî on 25 November and at Girê Hekarî on 26 November have shaken the fascist AKP/MHP regime. The Turkish army has suffered great losses in this bitter war, but they are not made public.

After the action on 5 December in the Saca resistance area, in which one major and other high-ranking officers were punished, the Turkish army withdrew from the summit of Mount Kurojahro, from the village of Saca in the Sheladize town in Amadiya, from the surroundings of the village, from Girê Şehîd Sîpan and from Dola Şehîd Kuncî, where the major was punished.

Moreover, the Turkish army fled from all fronts in the Girê Cûdî resistance area, where they burned the bodies of their own soldiers on the orders of Hulusi Akar. The Turkish army suffered heavy blows from the intense shelling of the guerrillas on Şehîd Kendal, Şehîd Şîlan, Şehîd Çekdar, Şehîd Baxtiyar, Şehîd Savuşka and Şehîd Leşker hills on 11 and 12 December and retreated.

The Turkish army brought in various materials for the occupation of Girê Cûdi and a permanent station in the area. In order to prevent these items from falling into our hands, they were burnt and thrown from the rocky outcrops. During the panicked retreat of the Turkish army, many items were also left behind. Currently, the Turkish army has withdrawn from the village of Saca and its surroundings east of the Zap and from the areas west of the Zap with the exception of Girê FM and Girê Hekarî.

Undoubtedly, this retreat was not at their own request, but to flee from the crushing blows of the guerrillas. Our commander of the People's Defence Center Headquarters has declared in a speech: 'They will either retreat or they will die'. Some of the occupants were punished in permanent actions and revolutionary operations, while the others had to flee to save their lives. The fascist AKP/MHP regime, under the responsibility of Tayyip Erdogan and Hulusi Akar, wasted Turkish soldiers for eight months and caused about 2700 casualties. Countless war crimes were committed and still the desired was not achieved. The historic result in the west and east of the Zap proves the invincibility of the Kurdistan Freedom Guerrilla and the unsuccessfulness of the Turkish army. At the same time, it is a serious sign of a radical breakdown within the Turkish state."