On July 26, KDP forces targeted a group of HPG guerrillas in the vicinity of Bêxme village in the Xelîfan area of Southern Kurdistan (Northern Iraq). No information was received from the HPG group since. The HPG, which has lost contact with the three guerrillas since July 26, issued a press statement on July 29. On July 31, the HPG issued a second statement on the incident, calling on the KDP to explain the whereabouts of Erzurum-born guerilla Erdal Aslan (Serwer Serhat), Şırnak-born Ayhan Tatli (Wargeş avreş), and Rojava's Hesekê-born Mahmut Xelef (Dijwar Berxwedan).

On August 9, the family of HPG guerilla Mahmut Xelef travelled to Southern Kurdistan to investigate what had become of their son. Mahmut Xelef's father, Hesen Şerif Xelef, his mother, Roz Weli Xelil, and the guerrilla's brothers, Kawa Hesen Xelef and Diyar Hesen Xelef, asked KDP leader Masoud Barzani and party officials to make a public comment about his son and companions' fate.

The older sisters of HPG guerilla Ayhan Tatli also demanded that Masoud Barzani and KDP officials disclose the fate of his brother and his companions.

KDP WANTS TO SHED BROTHER BLOOD

Felek Tatli, the older sister of HPG guerrilla Ayhan Tatli, noted that they had not heard from her brother for 18 days and stated, "I want to receive information about my brother." The HPG issued two statements about the three guerrillas, but the KDP has stayed silent on this malicious action so far. People should stand up for my brother and his companions. Why is the KDP so hostile against fraternity? We are not their enemy. We want fraternity, while they seek for betrayal, conflict and fratricidal war. How much longer will this betrayal persist, how much longer will we shed each other’s blood?

Masoud Barzani and KDP authorities should make an explanation about my brother Ayhan and his companions and clear the air. Why has the KDP remained silent for 18 days and has not issued a comment regarding the incident? Whether they are alive or dead, their aftermath must be announced. All we want to know is what happened to our brother and his friends. We never want to be hostile to our brothers, but the KDP is tricked by the enemy and wants to shed brother blood. We've been worried about our brother for 18 days and haven't received any information. What the KDP is doing now in the South and against the Kurdish people is mass murder and preparation for a great massacre."

‘WE WERE THREATENED WITH ARREST'

Felek Tatli, who travelled to Hewlêr to find out what happened to her brother, told, the following "We went to Southern Kurdistan to gather information from my brother Ayhan, and from there we proceeded to the KDP intelligence agency Parastin." In Parastin, we were received by a man named Zinar. Instead of providing information, he threatened us with arrest and said, 'Go away, don't come here again, now I can arrest you and take you to Turkey.' We were handled quite poorly by Parastin; they treated us as if enemies rather than brothers. "Serok (Leader) Massoud is going to have surgery right now, we didn't tell him anything," an employee told us.

This was stated by a Parastin employee as if acknowledging that the HPG guerrillas are in their custody. We criticize the KDP's approach; we went there to learn about our brother, but they insulted us and threatened us with arrest.

Parastin and KDP should promptly tell me of my brother's and his friend's whereabouts. Should we wait for the KDP's pleasure to find out what happened to our brother? What became of Barzani's pledge that "we will not shed brotherly blood"? 'I am ready for brotherhood,' stated Barzani, but this is not true. There are calls from throughout Kurdistan to halt the Birakûji (fratricidal war), but KDP remains deafeningly silent. How long will you continue to support the invaders? The enemy's attacks do not harm us because we know who he is, but it is the corrupt relations between the KDP and Barzani that do.

I call on all parties and groups in Southern Kurdistan to put pressure on the KDP to expose the fate of the three guerrillas. I once again call on human rights organizations and European governments to take steps to bring this atrocity to light. I only want to know what happened to my brother Ayhan and his friends. The people of the South must taket o the streets and hold the Barzani family accountable for the fate of the three guerrillas to be exposed."

'WE WERE EXPECTING AYHAN'S NEWS, BUT WE HEARD OF MY DAUGHTER'S'

Recently, Fatma Tatlı has been attempting to learn the whereabouts of her daughter Gulgeş Tatli, who was taken prisoner in recent days, and her guerrilla brother Ayhan Tatli, who has now been abducted by the KDP. "I felt like I lost my brother 18 days ago and I still haven't received any information from him," Fatma Tatli said and added that they were waiting for a statement from the KDP addressing the latest incident. I have yet to learn about my daughter Gulgeş. The military called me after my daughter Gulgeş was taken prisoner in an injured state. We went to Hakkari to see our daughter. But they didn’t let us. Our lawyer was only able to schedule a brief meeting. My daughter suffered injuries to her arms, legs, and back. They also imprisoned her without enabling her to receive treatment.”

The mother continued, “I went to see my daughter after she was imprisoned and found that she was not doing well. She was injured and was not well cared for. I asked my daughter why she was so exhausted that she hadn’t even washed her face before the visitation. 'I can't meet my basic needs,' my daughter said. They sent her to prison because they could not get what they wanted from my daughter. They did not cure her. My daughter may be transferred to Van prison with injuries in the coming days. I'm proud of my daughter, she has never bowed down to anyone."

‘LET THE FATE OF OUR GUERRILLAS BE DETERMINED’

At the conclusion of her address, Fatma Tatli urged Masoud Barzani to clarify the fate of her brother Ayhan Tatli and other insurgents, saying, "Masoud Barzani and KDP authorities should keep us updated on the status of our guerrillas. Let them tell us if they have been martyred or injured. They should not treat their brothers in this manner. We are not enemies. We call ourselves Kurds. We share the same ancestors. We are not going to stop until we hear from our guerrillas. We will employ all available means and turn to all institutions," he stated.