Both the war in Kurdistan and the guerrilla resistance, as well as the war in the Middle East is intensifying. What can you tell us about it?
The TUSAŞ attack was a very big action. It represents the peak of the guerrilla of democratic modernity. It shows the development of a new style, tactic, and strategy in the restructuring of the guerrilla. And, accordingly, had a great impact. In a place where genocidal weapons are produced, such an action is, of course, of great significance. It constitutes the strongest response to the total genocidal attacks that have been going on for a century, and that has intensified particularly in the last ten years. It constitutes a strong response to the Imrali torture and isolation system. This also shows in the letters of the two comrades, in which they express very strikingly why they carried out this action.
I would like to take this opportunity to commemorate comrades Asya Ali and Rojger Helin with great respect, love, and gratitude. Indeed, they became a symbol of courage, great will, and devotion to Rêber Apo, the peoples, and the values of freedom.
The political and military consequences of this action are enormous. This will be felt even more in the future. This action took place at a time when the genocidal attacks were continuing in a very violent way, and it was a response to these. It happened at a time when the Imrali torture system was going on very intensely and a terrible special war propaganda was being carried out on Rêber Apo. They represent the peak in the fedai struggle. They represent the peak of the guerrilla of democratic modernity. They represent the way of the new guerrilla, its tactics, and strategy with their action. At the same time, this action has a very important ideological and philosophical meaning.
The fact that comrade Asya and Rojger stayed together for a long time, prepared for this action, did reconnaissance, overcame many difficulties together, and carried out such a successful action and achieved it together also expresses the level of the joint struggle of women and men for freedom. The liberated woman also expresses the level reached by the liberated man. Comrade Asya and Rojger became symbols of the free relation between women and men. They stayed together for months, maybe even more than a year, and never deviated from the goal until the end, which is the most striking expression of the level reached in the liberation of women and the liberation of men. It is the most striking expression of the relationship between free women and free men. We need to see and evaluate this in this way. It is the result of a personality and a life dedicated to freedom. It was a very competent and professional level of action.
Of course, the struggle continues in the same spirit in the Medya Defense Zones and in northern Kurdistan. The war continues with all its intensity. The HPG has also expressed this. Now the Turkish state was saying that it would conclude its aim in November. Obviously, it was not the last November of the guerrilla. It still has many years ahead of it. The lock they’ve been talking about closing for months around the guerrilla has closed around them.
With the current mentality, this state will go nowhere. This state will bring its own end with this denialist, genocidal mindset. It will not yield any results. This genocidal mentality will lead to the establishment of fifty, a hundred, a thousand PKK’s against them. Against this nationalist, genocidal mind, many more Asyas and Rojgers will rise. All the children of this people follow the path of Asya and Rojger. As long as these genocidal policies continue, as long as the torture and isolation in Imrali continue, thousands and tens of thousands of Asyas and Rojgers will emerge. This resistance will continue forever in the spirit of Zap, Metina, and Xakurke. It will continue by spreading everywhere. This anti-Kurdish mentality will not bring Turkey anywhere; it will solely lead to the collapse of the state. It has already put it in hell, and it is increasing the fire of that hell with its current policies.
It is clear that they will continue this war. Just the other day, Iraqi National Security Chief Kasim Arici visited Turkey; afterwards, Sudani also went there. They held meetings in Baghdad on the so-called development road. They are in intensive dialog with each other. Also, Nechirwan went to Turkey in November, just before the elections, and they want to meet with Assad. They are pushing Russia to play a role. They beg everyone like this. They beg NATO for more support. They beg the US. They beg for more support, promising that they would finish and destroy the Kurds.
The world is not the old one anymore. This is not the era of Sheikh Said; this is not the era of Seyit Riza. This is a different era. In this period, there is now an organized people, a conscious Kurdish people, a Kurdish people with a will. There is a people who know themselves, who stand up for their identity, personality, honor, and freedom, and who are willing to pay any price for this. Tens of thousands of them are currently resisting in the prisons under torture conditions and do not give in. All kinds of pressure, persecution, torture, and genocidal attacks are targeted at this people, and they resist and do not give in. No matter what is done, this people is organized and conscious and will not submit; they will resist and struggle because they gained the power of self-defense. The old times are over. If the state approaches this people with the same mindset, it will only bring its own end. They may appoint trustees everywhere, but the people will never surrender to them; they will resist and not back down. They may continue their genocidal war, but they won’t achieve anything. Turkey will sink deeper and deeper into the swamp; its resources will dry up until it totally collapses.
Now that the Kurdish question is open, the solution is imposing itself. Either the state mentality will change or it will end itself. No matter who it enters into alliances with now, be it the Iraqi state, the collaborators from the KDP, or whoever, that will inevitably not prevent this.
Turkey is misreading the developments in the Middle East. If Turkey were to read the current developments correctly, if it had a rational mind, if it were to consider the interests of the peoples of Turkey, it would shift to a policy based on a brotherly coexistence with the Kurds. It would shift to a policy based on the democratic alliance with the Kurds. It would take the solution to the Kurdish question as a basis, base its relations with the Kurds on dialog, and develop a peaceful policy. It would take a similar policy with the Kurds of Rojava, in northern Kurdistan and everywhere else. This would make Turkey grow and strengthen it. It would make Turkey a great power and country in the region. In fact, it would make Turkey the strongest democratic country in the region.
But since the Kurdish hostility, denialist, extermination policy, and mentality in Turkey have not changed, since it insists on this policy, the destruction of Turkey continues. It persists in its policy of genocide, occupation, and annihilation against Rojava. On the night of October 24, they once again bombed all critical infrastructure above and below ground for the population of northern and eastern Syria. It massacred many civilians and wounded dozens of them. They hit wheat silos, bakeries, printing presses, libraries, hospitals, and schools. These are war crimes. These are genocidal crimes, crimes against humanity. That is the way of the Turkish government: genocide. It is hostile to the entire population of North and East Syria and attacks them. It is trying to turn Kurds and Turks into enemies of each other, and gradually and persistently, it is trying to lay the groundwork for civil war with all its power. It is trying to prepare the environment for this.
It is this policy that destroys Turkey. There is a war in the region right now. The region is in serious chaos. An international concept is being implemented in the region. There are a lot of calculations. Therefore, the region will no longer be like it has been before. The borders will change in the region. The nation-states have disintegrated in the region and will continue to do so. Now, this process is a crucial and historical process for the revolutionary democratic forces in the region, for the freedom movement and for all revolutionary democratic forces. They need to be in a very organized and united struggle. They need to rely on their own forces. Our people, especially in North and East Syria, need to be organized strongly based on the principles of the revolutionary people’s war. Our people and everyone must take part strongly in the according self-defense.
The Turkish State is on the wrong path. It has made wrong choices. The choices it made will bring the end of its own state and will sink it even further in the swamp. Being aware of this fact, it must be clear to us that the state will not limit itself to the existing attacks. It will intensify its attacks, especially in northern and eastern Syria, both from the air and from the ground, in order to occupy the remaining areas. This state is always looking for opportunities. It is making its preparations at full speed. In anticipation of all this, our people in North and East Syria must always be prepared. On the basis of self-defense on the basis of revolutionary people’s war, regardless the age, they must defend their own lands and homeland. With all the attacks, the Turkish state is trying to expel the people and depopulate the area. It is trying to prepare the ground for a ground invasion. We need to be aware of this and prepare accordingly.
While the Turkish state is making these calculations, Israel has entered Lebanon and will also enter Syria. The moment Israel enters Syria, Turkey hopes that it can take it as an opportunity to launch a broad invasion attack against North and East Syria. It speculates that nobody would say anything against its move under such circumstances. All these attacks are preparations for this.
What they have now put on the agenda is the so-called David Corridor and say that it is Israel’s attempt to establish a corridor from Jordan and the north of Saudi Arabia through Tenef and Deir ez-Zor in Syria, via Shengal (Sinjar), to Mosul. They are intensively discussing this, and many advocate that while Israel pursues such a policy, they should create a corridor by themselves. Erdogan showed his map at the UN. Their whole concept is based on this. There is not a single step back on this issue.
Our people should be well aware of this. That is why our people in North and East Syria must prepare against any attack, against any attack in any scope. Based on the revolutionary people’s war and the according self-defense, they must quickly organize and prepare themselves in every dimension. The peoples need to defend themselves. The way to success is through the revolutionary people’s war, through self-defense. This is the only way to protect your existence and freedom. If self-defense based on the revolutionary people’s war is developed, the 21st century will be the century of the Kurds. It will be the century of the peoples of the Middle East. It will be the century of women. This possibility also exists in the course of current developments. There are many severe dangers, but there are also many opportunities. It offers great possibilities and opportunities to the freedom and democratic forces as long as we are organized and as long as we are able to develop total and social resistance everywhere along the principles of the revolutionary people’s war. The according preparations must be continued with conviction and determination. In this way, there is no doubt that great results will be yielded.
Is there anything else you would like to add at the end of our conversation?
Social decay in Turkey is directly linked to the war being waged. This genocidal war against the Kurds has created a serious decay. It has dissolved morality, conscience, and all moral values of society. Violence has become part of the social reality. The ideology of male domination feeds on violence and war. That’s why it is now everywhere. A great enmity against women, enmity against children and a horrible masculinity aroused. This constantly growing and spreading sexism also obviously intensifies violence against women. Two to three woman and two to three children are murdered on a daily basis. This is a terrible massacre. At the same time the women’s struggle is growing. This is something the state is truly afraid. That is why violence against women is encouraged and developed even more by the state.
The thing to do against this is to develop the women’s liberation struggle, to organize and educate women. It is about the development and the growth of the common struggle of women. In other words, there is a great need for women’s joint struggle in these times.
The women’s movement in Turkey must also take a stand against the Imrali torture and isolation system; it must take a stand against the genocidal war on the Kurds. Because all this violence against women and children feeds on this. The isolation and torture system in Imrali and the genocidal war on the Kurds feed on this policy of violence and massacre against women and children. From this point of view, against war, violence, and against the isolation and torture system, the women’s movement in Turkey, the female intellectuals from Turkey, and generally the women from Turkey should also stand against this. They should be in a joint struggle with the Kurdish Women’s Movement.
In this sense, the appropriate thing to do is to organize women everywhere, not to leave a single woman unorganized, to form women self-defensive everywhere and to develop an organized, self-defensive, strong, common, united women’s struggle. It is to grow the struggle against the war and isolation.
source: ANF English