Batûfa Çekdar: Turkish army cannot fight

The Turkish army calls itself the strongest NATO army, but it is not able to fight against guerrillas in the area of operation. Therefore, it uses mercenaries from Syria, contras and village guards.

Batûfa Çekdar from the command of the women's guerrilla force YJA Star spoke about the resistance against the Turkish occupation of Kurdistan in a special broadcast on Stêrk TV, referring to the leading role of women: "Kurdish women are carrying out a historic resistance in the mountains. The struggle in Northern and Southern Kurdistan is led by the YJA Star. The strength of women and the identity of the YJA Star is visible in all defense positions. This was evident in Heftanîn last year and in the Zap, Metîna and Avaşîn regions in recent months."

For the guerrilla commander, today's situation is a continuation of the brutal repression at the time of the 1980 military coup: "The fascism that is directed against the peoples and our movement today is no different from the situation in Amed [tr. Diyarbakir] prison at that time. The form may have changed, but it is the same oppressive mentality. If we ask ourselves in what way the Turkish state has changed since then, we find that nothing has changed at all. However, in view of our liberation struggle, it is now in the weakest position imaginable. 39 years have passed since the July 14 resistance [death fast in Amed prison in 1982] and our struggle continues. In the course of time, the Turkish state has become more and more helpless, but it has never given up its genocidal mentality. It no longer has its own forces to rely on. However, it is supported by the general silence on genocide. This silence legitimizes the AKP/MHP system.

The government knows that it would have to justify its actions the moment it stops the military operations in Kurdistan and the repression of the Kurdish people in and outside the prisons. Therefore, it maintains the war against the people and the guerrillas. With the invasion in Southern Kurdistan, which was launched on April 23, the Turkish state wants to destroy the guerrilla system and limit our range of movement. The operation continues with full force and the results are continuously published by the HPG.

In the past years, various military operations have taken place in Medya Defense Zones, and in 2019 and 2020, the invasion was in Heftanîn. The areas chosen for these operations clearly point to the goal of the Turkish state. The basic purpose of the military operations is to occupy Southern Kurdistan. The second objective is directed against the guerrilla system and the areas in which the guerrillas have been organizing and professionalizing themselves for years.

The Turkish army calls itself the strongest NATO army, but it is not able to fight against the guerrillas in the area of operation. It cannot stand against the will of the guerrillas and uses mercenaries from Syria, contras and village guards in the fight against us. Of course, those who go to war for money are no match for the Apoist fighters. A new stage has begun in our history of struggle. The war is not only being waged in the underground positions in the Zagros Mountains, Metîna, Zap and Avaşîn. The tunnels are only one aspect of this war. For the first time in the history of our struggle, resistance is being waged in such a professional and creative manner."