2022 was a year of unprecedented resistance in Kurdistan and we are at a crossroads. The guerrillas they thought they could easily destroy have undergone a huge change in their quality.
The year 2022 has marked history with unprecedented examples of resistance. The assessment of any year should be made in light of its own developments and the resulting outcomes. With the end of the year 2022, we are at the crossroads of a historic process that opens the door to the second century of the republic, in which all kinds of occupation goals are set for the coming year. With the alliances they have made with the official ideology of the first century, which feeds on denial, assimilation and exploitation, and the preparations they have put into practice, they have already entered into the zeal and competition to conquer the second century with their hegemonic power. It can be said that the Erdogan regime, which is a synthesis of Islamic and fascist ideologies, and which sees the only way to prolong its own life in ending the genocidal war in Kurdistan, has opened the door to a great defeat for the survival of its regime by invading South Kurdistan. The guerrillas, whom they thought they could annihilate quite easily, have undergone an enormous change in their quality. From this point of view, it can be stated that since the beginning of the invasion on 14 April 2022 from the air and 17 April 2022 from the ground, the Kurdistan Freedom Guerrilla have waged a historic struggle against the Turkish army and have once again proved its invincibility by putting up a life-threatening resistance against the modernised and rampant technical warfare of our times. The fact that the units of the occupying army are now forced to flee from some points and are panicking is only part of the results of this struggle.
As is known, the press centre of the People’s Defence Forces (HPG) announced on 25 December 2022 that the occupation forces had withdrawn from some resistance areas. The statement said: “After the action on 5 December in the Saca resistance area, in which one major and other high-ranking officers were punished, the Turkish army withdrew from the summit of Mount Kurojahro, from the village of Saca in the Sheladize town in Amadiya, from the surroundings of the village, from Girê Şehîd Sîpan and from Dola Şehîd Kuncî, where the major was punished. Moreover, the Turkish army fled from all fronts in the Girê Cûdî resistance area, where they burned the bodies of their own soldiers on the orders of Hulusi Akar. The Turkish army suffered heavy blows from the intense shelling of the guerrillas on Şehîd Kendal, Şehîd Şîlan, Şehîd Çekdar, Şehîd Baxtiyar, Şehîd Savuşka and Şehîd Leşker hills on 11 and 12 December and retreated. The Turkish army brought in various materials for the occupation of Girê Cûdi and a permanent station in the area. In order to prevent these items from falling into our hands, they were burnt and thrown from the rocky outcrops. During the panicked retreat of the Turkish army, many items were also left behind. Currently, the Turkish army has withdrawn from the village of Saca and its surroundings east of the Zap and from the areas west of the Zap with the exception of Girê FM and Girê Hekarî.”
The withdrawal from these areas is undoubtedly a result of the effective and fruitful implementation of the guerrilla of democratic modernity. There are three main reasons for this outcome. The first reason is the scale of the struggle that has developed. The mobile guerrilla squads, which controlled the entire terrain with their effective striking power, became a nightmare for the occupying army. Moreover, with the measures taken, they [the Turkish army] realised that their technical superiority was not as significant as they thought, as they could not inflict losses on the guerrillas in high-intensity aerial attacks. It is the style of the new era of guerrillas that reveals these results. The most effective style of warfare of the new period, the mobile group guerrilla style, and the uninterrupted continuation of guerrilla warfare conducted in the tunnel warfare style despite the harsh winter conditions, show this reality much more clearly. With these two new styles, the guerrilla’s ability to act not only gained continuity in four seasons without interruption, but also largely negated the tactical warfare style of the Turkish occupation army. So how did this frustration come about? For many years, the Turkish army pursued the main strategic tactic of “make contact, retreat, destroy by technology” in the war. With this tactic, it relied entirely on its own modern weapons and advanced technical infrastructure. In other words, a mechanised army emerged. An army that cannot make a move without an air attack. For years, the guerrillas resisted the war tactics of the Turkish army and developed methods to thwart these strategies by counterattacking. With the battle of Zap, the Kurdish freedom guerrillas have actually succeeded at an advanced stage in completely refuting these basic strategic tactics of the Turkish army. The guerrilla forces carry out land control at the highest level without deciphering their main positions until the Turkish army is out of their weapon range. When the occupation forces want to advance in comfort as if no one is alive, the guerrillas mobilise their attack groups and shock the occupation forces. In the battle of Zap, such a situation occurred in almost all areas where the occupation forces tried to position themselves.
The main point was that helicopters did not dare to enter the areas because of the systematic intervention of the guerrillas. In fact, eleven helicopters destroyed and nearly 100 hit in this eight and a half month war are a clear reflection of the results of these interventions. When we evaluate the results of this war, of course, the numbers are very important, but the most important point is that the guerrillas gave hell and attacked the invading Turkish army, which is one of the largest armies in NATO and receives all forms of support.
The second reason was that these areas were easier to access than the high peaks. They were riskier places where the occupation forces could be hit at any time. In fact, each of the areas mentioned in the statement is of strategic importance and covers a large area. The areas we refer to as east and west of the Zap are essentially the areas on either side of the Zap bank. The Kurojahro Mountains in the east of Zap extend immediately above Sheladize town and reach along the settlements to the Amadiya district. And it is currently on the dividing line between the occupying army and the towns of Southern Kurdistan. There, too, the guerrilla struggle continues uninterrupted. The village of Saca, on the other hand, is half an hour away from the Çemço area at the foot of Hill Karker line and is an area where the traffic routes run. As a reminder, last year the people in the region were meant to be used to occupy these areas. For this purpose, MIT and Parastin [the KDP’s intelligence service] held some meetings with the tribes of the region and asked them to fight against the guerrillas. They promised that if they captured these areas, they would build a trade route through Rênçbiraxa via the Gelîyê Balinda line, which would be connected to the region, and that their own tribesmen would have a share in the construction, security and operation of this road. The tribes in the region stated emphatically that they were absolutely against this and would not accept it. As a result, KDP forces were deployed to create a provocation in this region. When these efforts failed due to the reaction of the people of the region and the common sense of the guerrillas, the Turkish state wanted to take the area this year with an occupation operation that started with concerted use of chemical weapons and banned bombs.
Thousands of war crimes were committed in these areas, especially in Saca, where eleven guerrilla fighters resisted heroically until their last breath and died in a chemical attack. All kinds of modern techniques were used, but the Turkish army failed to break through the guerrilla resistance line and make the occupation permanent. Here, the Girê Cûdî resistance area rises directly above the Zap River and is connected to the Girê FM resistance area. To the left is the Girê Hekarî mountain range and below it the Girê Amêdî hill. The areas are able to protect each other. Especially when mobile teams are involved, these areas become hell for the Turkish army. In these areas where the occupation was extended, the specially equipped troops of the occupation army suffered the most losses and were shaken by revolutionary actions several times. Apart from the strategic importance of these areas due to geography, the Turkish army suffered unexpected losses considering the years of preparations of the guerrillas. They even willingly burnt their own soldiers just so that they would not fall into the hands of the guerrillas. They destroyed them with bombs. They suffered losses in these areas that they would have suffered in a war between states.
The third reason was that the Turkish occupation army was no longer able to control its forces. This is because it has spread its troops over a very large area where the guerrillas had been preparing for years. Although the Turkish army has even brought heavy military equipment to these areas, it is now trying to reduce its forces, i.e. to take a defensive position by limiting the area of operation, as it has suffered heavy losses. This is another reason for the withdrawal. This is because it has spread over a very large area. At present, it can neither coordinate its forces nor protect its soldiers from the guerrillas. In addition to the thousands of soldiers killed or wounded in the war, hundreds of them have begun to suffer from psychological problems. This is because their army, which they praise to the skies, can very easily abandon them. They are not even entitled to a funeral. Especially when they feel the muzzle of the guerrillas on their necks at every moment, they naturally experience psychological trauma. The repeated visits of Hulusi Akar himself could not bring the desired motivation. The contradictions between the military structure and the leadership levels deepened. In other words, the army was defeated. This situation was a very important factor for them.
Therefore, the fact that the occupation forces have withdrawn from these areas does not mean that the attacks there have stopped or that they have completely withdrawn their troops. Since they have not yet withdrawn from all the borders of the area, the fighting continues much more fiercely at this stage. The mobile guerrilla forces have dominance in all the areas where the occupation army is present. Moreover, in the areas where the attackers had fled, the guerrilla teams immediately continued their fight and did not let the occupation forces breathe a sigh of relief. Now, when the Turkish army lands in the area, it tries to position itself by holding the peaks, but these areas are not just peaks. If each area is bigger than a city and mountainous, guerrilla units can be active anywhere. Currently, the occupation army is present in areas such as Avaşîn, Xakurke and Heftanîn and claims to have completely conquered these areas, but the guerrillas are still active in the middle of Avaşîn. This is what we need to know in short. These territories cannot be taken even if ten armies come. History can testify to that. Especially when you have a self-sacrificing guerrilla army in front of you, it is almost impossible to breathe in these areas. It should be known that currently there is only the guerrilla resistance line between the Turkish occupation army and the towns of Southern Kurdistan. The occupation army loses blood when it encounters this resistance. Therefore, it is essential that all Kurdish forces take on a resistance-oriented role and relieve the guerrillas. The results so far are only a part of what will happen. What has happened is a guarantee of what will happen.