On 12 January, guerrillas of the HPG (People’s Defense Forces) and YJA Star (Free Women’s Troops) carried out the Şehîd Helmet Dêraluk Revolutionary Operation in the Zap region of the guerrilla-held Medya Defense Zones in southern Kurdistan (northern Iraq). The strategically important Girê Amêdîyê mountain range is located in the western section of the Zap Front, which has once again been at the centre of the war in Southern Kurdistan since last summer as part of a new occupation operation by the Turkish state. It is one of the guerrilla areas in the region from which the invading troops of Turkey withdrew at the end of 2022.

Gerîla TV has published a seventy-minute video documentary of the revolutionary guerrilla operation carried out in the Girê Amêdîyê Resistance Area. At least 61 soldiers were killed, 4 others were wounded, dozens of weapons and a large quantity of military equipment were confiscated, and all the rest were destroyed by fire in the revolutionary operation.

The Turkish government and the media controlled by it had concealed the true extent of the operation and the high losses suffered by the army. At the same time, a high number of guerrillas were claimed to have been killed, which according to the HPG was not true. "During the revolutionary operation and the days that followed, our comrades Serxwebûn and Rizgar fell in courageous battle. We did not suffer any other losses. The information provided by the fascist AKP/MHP regime and the Turkish army is a complete lie," the HPG announced on 14 January.

“The Martyr Helmet Dêraluk Revolutionary Operation dealt a heavy blow to the invading Turkish army and shook the fascist AKP-MHP regime. The fascist AKP-MHP regime and the special war media concealed their own losses in order to overcome the shock of the blow and to prevent the truth of the war from being reflected to the public. At the same time, it claimed that it inflicted many casualties to our forces by carrying out random aerial and ground bombardments. However, the statements of the fascist AKP-MHP regime, its authorities and the Turkish army are completely false. Our comrades Serxwebûn and Rizgar, who fought heroically during the revolutionary operation and in the following days, fell as martyrs, and we did not suffer any losses other than these comrades,” said the HPG statement on 14 January.

The statement said that: “First of all, protective measures taken by the Turkish army, such as booby traps, military equipment and barbed wire, were deactivated by our professional revolutionary operation forces. In the revolutionary operation, which started with attack and infiltration tactics completely on the initiative of our forces, all occupiers in Girê Amediyê Resistance Area were targeted simultaneously. Our revolutionary operational forces went over the bodies of 20 invaders, clarified and documented their deaths. Other places belonging to the invaders were also effectively hit with heavy, medium automatic and individual weapons. Our professional revolutionary operational force confiscated 4 crates of grenades, grenade launchers and cannon balls belonging to the invaders and used them against the invaders and shot the enemy with their own weapons.

According to the HPG, the deaths of 61 soldiers were confirmed and four others were wounded during the course of the revolutionary operation. Many soldiers in tents were also killed, but their numbers could not be clarified. In this revolutionary operation, our forces set fire to and destroyed 3 containers, 11 positions, 2 logistic spots, 1 ammunition spot, 1 communication system, 1 generator, 1 radar system, 1 normal surveillance camera, 1 thermal surveillance camera, 2 A4 guns, 2 large chain grenade launcher guns and 8 mobile phones belonging to the invaders.

The guerrillas seized the following from the invaders: 7 MPT-55 individual weapons, 250 MPT-55 weapon bullets, 4 drum grenade launchers, 1 single grenade launcher, 2 BKC medium automatic weapons, 200 BKC medium automatic weapons bullets, 5 thermal binoculars, 7 night binoculars, 2 weapon lasers, 5 weapon scopes, 1 weapon spotter, 2 communication devices and 1 spare battery, 2 searchlights, 2 knives, 3 smoke bombs, 5 thermal binocular batteries, 3 armoured assault vests, 2 military coats and 2 headphones.