The Press Center of the People’s Defense Forces (HPG-BIM) released a statement responding to the accusations regarding forest fires. The statement includes the following:

"Turkish state officials and media have made statements blaming our movement for the forest fires that occurred in Hatay and Iskenderun provinces (in southern Turkey bordering Syria). It is well known that our movement PKK started its fight in order to end occupation, exploitation and plunder in Turkey and Kurdistan and continues this struggle in the light of Leader Apo’s democratic, ecological, women-emancipatory paradigm.

In addition to our ideological sensitivity to society and ecology, it is a clear fact that nature and the mountains of Kurdistan are the guerrilla's greatest friends and are the main deployment areas of our forces. It is known that forests are needed to defend our guerrilla forces, particularly in areas such as Hatay and İskenderun.

However, the fascist AKP-MHP regime, which unfairly and unashamedly set fire to the forests in Kurdistan and prevents our people's efforts to extinguish it, tries to put the blame on our movement for forest fires in Hatay and Iskenderun in order to cover up its anti-nature crime against humanity. Yet, these baseless statements and reports have nothing to do with the truth at all.”