The Press Centre of the People’s Defence Forces (HPG) issued a statement about the war amidst the Turkish occupation attacks on the guerrilla-held Medya Defence Zones in southern Kurdistan (northern Iraq).
According to the HPG statement on Sunday, five Turkish soldiers were killed in the Xakurke region during actions by guerrilla fighters of the HPG and the Free Women’s Troops (YJA Star). On the other hand, the Turkish air force has bombed the guerrilla areas almost fifty times in the past two days.
HPG provided the following details regarding the actions by the guerrillas and attacks by the Turkish army:
Xakurkê
On 25 October, guerrillas with semi-automatic weapons targeted a Turkish unit advancing on a tunnel in the Lolan area. A skirmish ensued in which four soldiers were killed. Another soldier in the area was killed today by a YJA Star sniper. On Friday, YJA Star guerrillas fired heavy weapons at the invading troops in the Girê Mesken resistance area.
Zap and Metîna
On the western front of the Zap region, a HPG sniper destroyed a radar system installed by the Turkish army in the Girê Cûdî area on Saturday. The same day, guerrillas intervened twice with light weapons against Turkish troops advancing in the direction of a tunnel system in the area. In Girê Bahar and Girê Amêdîyê, as well as in Dergelê in the Metîna region, the invading troops were struck by the guerrillas four times yesterday with semi-automatic and heavy weapons.
Attacks by the Turkish army
In the last two days, the Turkish army has used banned explosives five times against guerrilla tunnels in the areas of Girê FM, Girê Cûdî and Girê Amêdîyê. On Friday and Saturday, fighter jets bombed areas in the Xakurke, Gare, Metîna and Zap regions 13 times and attack helicopters 35 times.
Afrin Attacks Continue
The following details were included in a statement published by the Afrin Liberation Forces (HRE):
“Our revenge and retaliation actions continue in response to the attacks and policies carried out by the occupying Turkish state and its affiliated gang groups in Northern and Eastern Syria.
In this context:
Our Martyr Avêsta Team unit carried out a sniper operation in Azaz on 19 October. As a result, one occupying gang member was killed.
In a sniper action carried out on the Mare line on 25 October, one occupying gang member was killed.
On 26 October, the occupying gangs tried to attack the Sherawa line. Our forces followed the invaders there and effectively responded to them. The bodies of the gang members who died in the clash remained in the region.
When they wanted to collect their bodies, our forces responded once again. In the clashes, a gang leader named Ehmed Raid Meldeun and two invading gangs were killed, while three gangs were injured. On the same day, the bases of the occupying Turkish state on the Bab, Mare and Sherawa line were targeted again by special operations. 11 Turkish soldiers were injured. As a result of these actions of our forces, five invading gangs were killed, 11 Turkish soldiers and three invading gangs were injured.”