People's Defence Centre (HSM) Headquarters Command released the balance sheet of war for 2021.

“Our struggle in 2021 has made significant progress for the people of Kurdistan and the peoples of the region. This year, a fierce struggle has been carried out by young people, women and revolutionary components in the military, political and social fields and significant results have been achieved. In the very beginning of the year, our movement asserted that important developments would take place and that the struggle would reach its peak. We predicted that the Turkish state would seek to eliminate the Kurdistan Freedom Movement as its most ultimate goal based on its "law of denial and destruction of Kurds". Therefore, as we entered 2021, serious preparations were made both to frustrate the attacks of the colonialist genocidal Turkish state, which were the continuation of the "Collapse Plan", and to lead the "Dem Dema Azadiyê Ye" [Time for Freedom] campaign to a definite success. The Kurdistan Freedom Guerrilla introduced novel warfare countermeasures to prepare the People's Defence Forces for the year 2021.

The Collapse Plan based on total annihilation and genocide, introduced by the AKP-MHP-Ergenekon alliance against our movement and our people on July 24, 2015, was frustrated thanks to the great Imrali resistance of Abdullah Öcalan, the struggle of our people, their friends, democratic left-socialist forces, women and youth, and the heroic resistance of the guerrilla. This resistance also led the fascist regime to the verge of collapse. The fascist regime became desperate for its survival, needed a victory to hold snap elections and prolong its life through the extermination of the Kurdish people in 2021 and dissemination of racist nationalist sentiments within Turkish society. The AKP-MHP-Ergenekon fascist regime insisted on the survival of the country in order to maintain power and sought to occupy Bashur (South) Kurdistan and Rojava Kurdistan based on Neo-Ottomanist ideology. On this basis, on February 10, 2021, it started to target our forces in Garê and then attempted to expand and deepen the Garê operation. However, this plan was frustrated as a result of the heroic resistance mounted in Siyanê under the leadership of our heroic commander, Comrade Şoreş Beytüşşebap, and the serious blows against the most elite units of the Turkish army. The Turkish army suffered a heavy defeat, and it could only stay there for 4 days despite its most advanced military supplies.

After the fascist regime accepted its defeat in Garê, it aggravated the isolation of Öcalan, started to crack down the Kurdish people and democratic left-socialist circles in Turkey and launched a large-scale invasion operation against Avaşîn, Zap and Metina regions on April 23. The purpose of this operation was to remove our guerrilla forces from the Medya Defence Zones in a short time and thus to complete the International Conspiracy.

KURDISTAN FREEDOM GUERILLA RUINS TURKISH PLANS

However, the Kurdistan Freedom Guerrilla mounted historic resistance against this and prevented the Turkish state, various other international powers and local collaborators from achieving results. The People's Defence Forces made a breakthrough in 2021 with the Garê Victory and put the new era guerrilla warfare into practice. In particular, the ground-based combat style of the professional mobile guerrilla teams and the war tactics based on positions and tunnels stopped the Turkish army on the hills where fighting took place from the very first day. The Turkish army, which planned to get results in a few weeks, could not make any progress even after months. On the contrary, it kept receiving serious blows each day. The guerrilla forces have remained active all over Kurdistan, from Heftanin to Amed, from Dersim to Zap, from Avaşîn to Serhat, from Xakurke to Botan. The tactics developed by our guerrilla forces such as raids, infiltration, attacks, assassinations, sabotages and strikes, as well as the battle tunnels in resistance areas, air defence forces, and coordinated actions combining various tactics are the main features of the Democratic Modernity Guerrilla Warfare.

TURKISH ARMY COMMITTED A WAR CRIME USING CHEMICAL WEAPONS

In 2021, the Turkish army used various war technologies at its disposal and bombed the Medya Defence Zones without interruption, to no avail. The drones, of which the Turkish state boasts much, remained ineffective thanks to the new era guerrilla warfare and the Turkish army was once again defeated on ground. During this resistance process, a constant state of war emerged in which the same methods were constantly repeated when confronting the enemy forces in all resistance areas specifically Werxelê, Girê Sor, Zendura, Aris Faris and Mamreşo. The guerrillas, representatives of the resistance legacy created by the PKK tradition, won this great battle of wills which relied on an unprecedented resistance, and lasted up to 6 months in some areas. The AKP-MHP fascist regime was however defeated and failed to achieve its goals. Therefore, the Turkish army has resorted to chemical weapons, which is a crime according to international laws, a shame in terms of human values and cowardice according to the norms of war. 40 of our comrades who resisted heroically in Siyanê, Zendura, Mamreşo, Girê Sor and Werxelê and did not allow the occupation forces to move forward, were martyred following the Turkish chemical attacks, but they made history by defeating the enemy with their resistance.

KDP STABBED THE GUERILLA IN THE BACK

The Kurdistan Freedom Guerrilla was able to develop such a practice in 2021 based on our movement's 37 years of guerrilla experience inspired by Öcalan’s resistance in Imrali prison and his ideology. It would certainly not have been possible to put up such a level of resistance and success without the Apoist spirit, faith, devotion to the martyrs, our people and lands, and the determination to fight for noble causes. Aware of these commitments, the colonial Turkish state tried to reactivate the hideous collaborative traitorous approach in order to put down the Kurdistan people’s struggle for existence and freedom from within. Therefore, the KDP surrounded the guerrilla areas, provided support to the Turkish attacks, and shared intelligence with Turkey. Unfortunately, in line with the aims of the Turkish state, the KDP forces attempted to weaken the sacred resistance of the guerrilla forces in 2021, carried out various provocations, but thanks to the common sense of our forces, potential hostilities that could have escalated were prevented.

OUR MARTYRS MADE HISTORY

The self-sacrificing spirit, determination, will, tactical innovation and strong comradeship that the guerrilla displayed based on Öcalan’s ideology left its mark in 2021 as the most significant moving force of success. Our glorious and brave heroes were martyred during this year. Thanks to the heroism of all our martyrs, especially comrades Cumali and Rêber, Çavrêlerîn, Botan and Zinarîn, Şoreş Beytüşşebap, Hêjar, Serhat and Sarya, this success went down in history. We should never forget that we owe the success to the efforts and blood of our martyrs who stopped a fierce enemy seeking to annihilate the Kurdish people.

YJA STAR FORCES ACHIEVED SIGNIFICANT GAINS

The heroic resistance displayed by our YJA Star forces throughout the year, the great commandership represented by Sarya, Delal, Ronahî, Nûjin, Diljîn, Diyana, Hîra, Zinarîn and Çavrê, and the democratic modernity guerrilla warfare YJA Star adopted under the leadership of these comrades and dozens of our female martyr comrades have been the most important developments of 2021. Apart from the ideological, organizational, paradigmatic and alternative free life achieved by the free Kurdish women, the successful manifestation of the democratic modernity guerrilla warfare has led to very important achievements that could inspire women from all over the world. In 2021, the leading role of free women in our struggle and war has been proven once again.

742 ACTIONS CARRIED OUT, 861 TURKISH SOLDIERS KILLED

Our comrades, who acted with the self-sacrificing spirit and resistance, carried out 742 actions in total to retaliate against 2025 air attacks, 426 bombings and 367 chemical attacks of the Turkish army in 2021. While 861 enemy soldiers were killed by our forces during the clashes, 298 of our comrades fell as martyrs. The whereabouts of some of our comrades remain unclear. We will be sharing information with the public once we clarify their situation.

2021 has been a year in which our war style and tactics have been reaffirmed and the new period guerrilla warfare has been retested and proven successful. Furthermore, dozens of our heroic young commanders who led the fighting have come into prominence. The Kurdistan Freedom Guerrilla which has become a hope for all oppressed and pro-freedom peoples, will manage to fulfil the expectations of our heroic martyrs and our leader by playing its role competently in the new year of struggle.”

HSM announced the balance sheet of battles for 2021 as follows:

ATTACKS OF THE TURKSIH ARMY

Chemical Weapon Attacks: 367

Howitzer-Mortar Attacks: 436

Airstrikes: 2025

MARTYRED AND CAPTURED GUERRILLAS

Guerrillas martyred: 298

Guerrillas captured by the enemy: 19

GUERILLA ACTIONS

Actions by guerrillas: 742

Raid: 2

Ambush: 2

Infiltration: 15

Assault: 30

Action by Air Defence Forces: 43

Assassination: 58

Coordinated Action: 64

Sabotage: 112

Heavy Weapons Action: 160

Clashes-Strikes: 256

ENEMY CASUALTIES

Number of soldiers killed: 861

Number of soldiers injured: 128