YJA Star guerrilla Zeryan Esmer Botan talked about the 122 days she spent in the Werxelê War Tunnels, where a growing test of will and resistance was given.
BEHDINAN – The Turkish army launched an invasion attack on Zap, Avaşîn and Metîna areas on April 17, 2022. The guerrillas in this area left rare examples of resistance to history with their heroism and their epic wars. The Turkish army did not hesitate to resort to inhumane methods in order to prevent the failures it fell into and to prolong its life. When the invading Turkish army could not defeat the valiant guerrillas fighting in the Werxelê War Tunnels of Avaşîn with the normal military order, they first used chemical gases, which are war crimes, made explosions, rained tons of cauldrons every day, and it didn’t work, brought the buckets to the top of the mountain and started to drill the mountain. He did not content himself with this, and increased the dosage of chemical gases, which he began to use continuously, and began to use more chemical gases. He sent it with hoses, he sent it by putting an extractor in front of the doors,
YJA Star guerrilla Zeryan Esmer Botan, who was involved in this dirty war waged by the war criminal Turkish state, talked about the 122 days she spent in the Werxelê resistance fortress:
INVASION ATTACK WAS EXPECTED
We went through an intense war process and we are still going through it. Before the war started in Medya Defense Zones in 2022, I was on Werxelê Hill in Avaşîn area. No matter how much we saw our educational, organizational, ideological and military trainings here, we always had war preparations. We were trying to complete our preparations, like keep the ammo, logistics and again at many points. How we will face the war, how we will respond to this intense process we are in, all the comrades in the Werxelê War Tunnels were in preparation on the axis of this concentration. Werxelê Hill is a strategic area. It dominates both Avaşîn, a part of Zap and the Sîda region; every friend was aware of this. Intense combat situations ahead, tactics, walkthrough, led us to discussion and planning about the method. In general, there was such a concentration and preparation for the war to be waged in the Zagros area. It was a very important process for us. It was possible to see the great excitement in everyone, as every friend on the hill predicted that there would be an operation. This excitement was evident in the eyes of all the warriors in the Werxelê War Tunnels. From the beginning of the war until the last day, this excitement was preserved and it took a place in life as an attitude. Promises were made on this basis. Everyone had a deep focus on tactics, action, and what method to use to neutralize the enemy, and accordingly, there was a preparation for war.
THIS WAR WAS THE FIRST FOR ME
The colonialist Turkish state carried out the invasion attack on the evening of April 17, 2022. The day before that, there were very intense airstrikes in the area. The first evening download was on Werxelê Hill, connected to the Zap area. Shortly before the download, everyone was tired, as all the friends on the hill were involved in the preparations for the takeover.
A friend and I were sitting in a place far from where all the friends were, discussing when the operation would begin. The operation was a situation we expected; while we were discussing this, our friends informed us that the operation had started, and when they said to bring the B-7 gun with you when you came, we were very excited. Seeing the enemy so close, participating in the war, these [things] create excitement in people. At that moment, people are worried about not being able to respond adequately to the process, because the process we are in is very sensitive. After the enemy landed on Werxelê, which is connected to the Zap area, a group of friends started preparations and took action after planning an action.
THE SUCCESS OF THE FIRST ACTION GIVES MORALE
The first action we took made us all very excited. There was a morale boost to the successful passage of the action that took place in each friend. And besides this morale, there was also a supreme determination that we would defeat the enemy here. In the first stages of the operation, actions such as going against the enemy, taking action, keeping the enemy away from the area, hitting the enemy continued uninterrupted. The heavy blows of the Turkish army led him to attack Werxelê in Avaşîn. With the arrival of the enemy on the hill we are on, the activities continued here as well. In the times of agency we are in, we have seen that it was not soldiers of a strong-willed army who came to fight us. They could not fight us one-on-one, hand-to-hand, and never showed this courage.
This discouragement of the enemy seemed obvious. This was not only true for the reality of war in the war we were in, but in general terms, we could see that the enemy did not have the courage to fight us one-on-one, from the enemy’s style of orientation and the actions of our comrades. They would almost get into a fight with each other to get inside a tunnel. One says you go, the other says you go. They did not know why they were fighting and where they had entered.
THEY STARTED WITH CHEMICAL WEAPONS
With the start of the invasion attack and the enemy’s attack on our place, chemical gases were used. It was used on all doors in the first processes. It didn’t affect us at first because we developed precautions inside. Every entry of the enemy into the tunnel was met by the actions of the guerrilla. Here, the enemy wanted to implement the policy of special warfare; every time he fell into difficulties, he called for surrender, resorting to all kinds of ways and methods to oust the guerrilla. Unimaginable ways were being tried. But during these times, one knows oneself better, the concentration of how to frustrate the enemy more develops a lot. Such concentrations were formed in each friend, because everyone had the same feelings and thoughts. Thoughts could easily be read on everyone’s faces.
OUR PURPOSE WAS NOT TO LET THE ENEMY IN
These answers given to the enemy in the Werxelê War Tunnels really pushed the enemy very seriously. From the beginning of the operation until the last day, the enemy seriously turned to the war tunnels. Capturing Werxelê as soon as possible was among the targets of the enemy. Our aim was not to leave Werxelê to the enemy. That’s why the enemy had a hard time in our resistance fortress. It always used different methods to go inside. It subjected us to a very intense attack, sometimes by closing the doors on us, sometimes by blowing up inside, sometimes by using chemical gases, to leave us breathless in the shikefts, which is our living space. The enemy wanted to force us physically and break willpower, and he wanted to break willpower psychologically. The Turkish army was resorting to very simple methods that followed far behind at the point of breaking the will. If we give an example: They drink Coke near the door of the tunnel and throw the can inside, trying to impress us with a simple Coke or the junk food they ate. Such a cheap, casual approach to a guerrilla movement can only be the simplicity of the enemy. The PKK is a movement that has been tested with millions of will-breaking behaviors and methods for 50 years and has come to this day. Undoubtedly, this directional approach of the Turkish soldiers stems from the fact that their party does not recognize the PKK and the will of the guerrilla. Here, he came to us with these simple methods and wanted to take us back. This did not find a response in the PKK guerrilla. When there was no response, the enemy had a very serious difficulty in the face of this will. They had such a hard time that their senior officials had to come and make calls to us.
THE CHEMICALS USED AND THEIR EFFECTS
Our comrades who fought in the war tunnels always prepared to meet the enemy in a more assertive way instead of complacency in the face of the stumbling and blockage in which the enemy entered. This can be seen in the actions, the losses suffered by the enemy, and the immoral methods of warfare that the enemy desperately carries out. One of the non-combat and immoral methods is the chemical gases used. There is no doubt that the chemical gases used have an effect. The invading Turkish army used very different chemical gases on the guerrilla. In the early stages of the war they used a type of gas called Chlorine, a different version of bleach. The taste and smell of this gas was reminiscent of bleach. They used this variety the most in the first months. The enemy was not content with just using chemicals, they were using chemical gases and making multiple explosions on the same day. When walking in the tunnels, one could clearly see the effect of the chemical gas used. Since the chemical gases used permeated the walls of the tunnel and the ground, these gases became active at the slightest movement. Active chemical gases showed their effect in the eyes, hair and nausea, intense headache and many biological effects. After a while, the eyes began to see blurred after exposure to the chemical, causing intense headache, nausea and weakness.
Another type of chemical gas was one that was activated where oxygen was present. This resulted in depletion of oxygen inside and making breathing difficult. Everyone can guess the effect of a blackout in one place.
Another method was the use of pitch. When pitch was used, a black smoke covered the area and it continued its effect for a long time.
NERVE GAS WITHOUT ODOR
One of the most brutal was the use of nerve gases. This nerve gas had no odor. It was a type of gas that damaged the nerves. The effects of this kind of gas were great. It was causing memory loss, numbing the body like a narcotic, making the body weak, and taking away the ability to move and think. It equated human behavior with that of a child. You do not consciously do anything you do or speak. Undoubtedly, the gases used affected us all, we used some drugs and methods to eliminate their effects, but it showed its effect on our three comrades with martyrdom. We wanted to intervene a lot, but we could not get results. It was influential on Baz Mordem, Helbest Koçerîn and Demhat Têkoşîn. The gas used had no smoke and its color was close to gray. It was causing severe forgetfulness.
RESPONSIBILITY TO DOCUMENT WHAT HAPPENED
We all knew that these gases were considered war crimes, so we took it upon ourselves to document what happened as a responsibility to our people and to history. Our movement presented these documents to the public as a war crime document, and the images were shared. Martyr Helbest’s eyes were blind for a while. She had become unable to eat, had a weak, tired body. We tried to take precautions somehow, the measures we took helped her to come to herself a little over time. However, this situation did not last long, it started to show its effect again, and because these gases were used constantly, no matter how much precautions were taken, it did not lead to a different result. The same was true for Heval Demhat.
Heval Baz was more affected by chemical gases than many of his friends, because he used to go to the tunnels a lot to check outside; This made it even more impactful. None of us realized that Heval Baz could be affected this much in the early stages, but towards the end, this situation started to show itself. His constitution was a little weak, the effect of this showed itself over time. Another day, friends went to check the gates and tunnels, the enemy used chemical gas in the meantime, Baz went alone while he was going, he was immediately affected by the gas. The effect of the gas used was the same as [the one that blinded] Helbest in the first place, when the friends who went to bring it returned, they were also affected by the gas. Emergency response was given to all friends immediately. Chemical gases showed an intense effect in the early days. In Heval Baz, on the other hand, this situation continued to show itself intermittently over time. The chemical gases used were happening so frequently that there was no longer enough oxygen inside. Heval Baz’s inability to get enough oxygen made his condition worsen and he could not stand.
Every friend’s claim was high in Werxelê, Heval Baz was a friend who played a very serious role in this war process, we intervened with Heval Baz until the end, but the intensity of the chemical used and the oxygen deficiency inside caused martyrdom. We developed many solutions to prevent chemical gases used as guerillas, but sometimes the result was not as we wanted.
His belief and determination that we will never be defeated
The enemy used chemical gases with very intense and different effects beyond what I have described. We developed precautions, we did not accept anything as it is. A great resistance was put up in the Werxelê War Tunnels. The invading Turkish army was helpless in the face of our internal resistance and enthusiasm for war. This situation led the enemy to different searches. From the first to the last day of the war, we understood that the enemy can no longer defeat us. It was a fact. They couldn’t get any results, they brought a ladle and crusher and started to throw the shikef on us. Of course, here one understands that the enemy cannot accept his defeat, so he is helpless and has to bring scoops to the highest peaks of the mountains. However, no matter how many different methods the enemy resorts to, the developing Apoist self-sacrificing spirit gives one strength to overcome all difficulties. This self-sacrificing spirit was revealed in Werxelê at once. Everyone was very insistent on not giving any mercy to the enemy. One could easily see this; Devotion to the leadership and the martyrs was at the highest level. This created a high level of morale, motivation, and made our war stronger. The sense of comradeship that emerged there reinforced the following belief in people: we will never be defeated. This is a very important detail, because where this happens there is never defeat; in fact, victory is the preservation of the core. For this reason, we will be the followers of comrades Cumali, Çawrê and Mahir, who were martyred in Werxelê last year with their stance, comradeship and war, and we will create a second resistance fortress here, Werxelê, with our resistance and our war. And it was so, thanks to the heroism created by our martyred comrades in Werxelê.
DON’T BREAK THE GUERILLA’S WILL
Until the end, we went through a lot together, we fought, we worked hard. There was a will that lasted to the end, this is a very important thing, the enemy could not break our will. There is no method that the enemy did not use against us, but this situation did not affect us, that is, our will. This was the result, both internally and in terms of the war we will wage. A 122-day history of resistance was left.
The more intense resistance, war and action there was in the tunnels, the more intense the action of the mobile teams outside in the field groups was. Field groups in professional teams dealt heavy blows to the enemy from the outside and intensely prevented the enemy attacks that would take place on the friends in the tunnels. We were determined not to leave Werxelê to the enemy, with the actions of both us who fought in the war tunnels and the field teams outside with a common spirit. A war was waged with the same self-sacrificing spirit, inside and outside, until the end. Seeing this, the enemy was helpless, so he resorted to brutal methods in his war and waged a despicable war. We lost four of our comrades in this war. Each friend had a role and mission, there the friends go against the enemy with great sacrifice and courage and the power created by this; he never allowed the formation of a thought like “the enemy forced us”. Every attempt by the enemy to force us physically caused more grudge and anger, a self-sacrificing spirit in us. The stance that emerged there was one that destroyed the enemy. This war we waged was a necessity of fulfilling our responsibilities towards both our people and our Leader in this process we are in. With this awareness of responsibility, we will carry our ongoing war to success.
There is only one truth that always emerges in this war and other wars; that is, no matter how technically the enemy comes against us, he could not achieve any success against the belief and will of the guerrilla. The enemy has been defeated in this sense. This resistance has honored us so much that it has touched our heads to the heights. It was an honor for me to take part in this resistance.
From: Nûçe Ciwan