HPG warned that the guerrilla forces would exercise their right to shift to an active stance and develop responses in various forms if the attacks on their areas were not halted.
Despite a ceasefire declared unilaterally by the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), the Turkish army continues to escalate their attacks on the guerrilla-held Medya Defense Zones in southern Kurdistan (northern Iraq). According to the HPG balance sheet for March, the Turkish army carried out a total of 11,585 air and ground attacks against the guerrilla areas in northern Iraq. On April 7, two guerrillas were martyred in the Çirav area in Garê region as a result of two bombardments carried out by an UCAV of the occupying Turkish army. On April 11, two guerrillas were martyred as a result of Turkish attacks with chemical weapons and banned explosives in the Zap region.

The Press Center of the People's Defense Forces (HPG) announced that the occupying Turkish army continued to target guerrilla areas.

In a statement on Thursday, the HPG Press Center said the following:

“As the public is aware, all our forces have taken a different position with the ceasefire that began on March 1. However, Turkish military forces in the Zap and Metîna regions are taking advantage of the situation, exploiting our forces' abstention from action to move freely and encircle guerrilla base areas. In this manner, they are using the ceasefire position in a highly despicable manner, aiming to eliminate tunnel resistance fighters. As detailed in our daily statements, Turkish military forces are attacking our tunnels with high-powered explosives, chemical gas, explosive-laden drones, drills attempting to bore through the tunnels, excavators attempting to destroy the tunnels, and heavy weapons. Despite the decisions of the PKK's 12th Congress (to disband and disarm), the Turkish army has been intensively using chemical gas in recent days against our base areas in Girê Amediyê and Sêgirê village near Amediyê district of Başûrê (Southern) Kurdistan and the Şêlazê village in Metîna. The Turkish army has set as its primary objective the annihilation of guerrilla forces in these three camps using chemical gas.

It is very clear that a war-profiteering tendency aimed at undermining the decisions developed by Leader Apo (Abdullah Öcalan) and taken by our Movement at its 12th Congress is playing a role here. The warmongering, massacre-oriented approach, which is taking advantage of the ceasefire conditions to destroy the guerrillas, especially in these three areas, is a cowardly approach. They not only seek to achieve this goal through actions with weapons banned at the international level but also persist in an aggressive stance aimed at sabotaging the peace process that is being sought. Those behind these attacks should be aware that if they do not halt these despicable assaults, the guerrilla forces will exercise their right to shift to an active stance and develop responses in various forms. In order to prevent such a situation from developing, it is necessary to put an end to this dirty, cowardly, opportunistic, and cheap heroism of war profiteers. It is very clear that without the ceasefire, they would not have been able to develop such a siege situation. It is obvious that they want to take advantage of this ceasefire to achieve their goals. We call on all those who genuinely support peace and a solution to take the initiative in this matter. We also urge all human rights organizations opposed to the use of banned weapons, as well as all democratic pro-peace circles, to take action to prevent the Turkish state from using banned weapons in a inhumane manner in Metîna and Western Zap.”

HPG shared the following details of the attacks carried out against guerrilla forces and the responses by the guerrillas:

“Attacks by the Turkish army:

On June 9, our tunnels in the Girê Amediyê Resistance Area in the Şehîd Delîl Western Zap region were bombed twice with explosives.

On June 10, our tunnels in the Girê Amediyê Resistance Area in the Şehîd Delîl Western Zap region were bombed nine times with chemical gas.

On June 5, 6, 9, 10, and 11, our tunnels in the Girê Amediye Resistance Area in the Şehîd Western Western Zap region were bombed 11 times with explosive and chemical gas-laden drones.

On June 7 and 8, our tunnels in the Şêlazê Resistance Area in the Metîna region were bombed 5 times with explosive and chemical gas-laden drones.

On June 10, the Deşta Kafya area in the Garê region was bombed once by warplanes.

On June 5, 6, 9, 10, 11, and 12, Turkish troops attempted to destroy our tunnels in the Girê Amediye Resistance Area in the Şehîd Delîl Western Zap region 26 times with excavators and drills.

Between June 5 and 11, the areas of Spîndarê, Kanî Sarkê, Zêvkê, Deriyê Hirçê, Deşta Kafya, Dêreşê, and Girê Zengil areas in the Garê region; the Serê Metîna and Bêşîlî Resistance Areas in the Metîna region; and the Girê Amediyê and Girê Bahar Resistance Areas in the Şehîd Delîl Western Zap region were heavily bombed with heavy weapons, artillery, and mortars.

Response by our forces:

At 1:45 p.m. on June 6, occupiers in an attack position in the Girê Amediyê Resistance Area in the Şehîd Delîl Western Zap region were struck by our YJA Star (Free Women’s Troops) forces, destroying one camera and an explosive.

On June 9 at 1:46 p.m., occupiers who were in an attack position in the Girê Amediyê Resistance Area in the Şehîd Delîl Western Zap region and were trying to drill through our tunnels were hit using a sabotage tactic.

On June 10 at 12:00 p.m., occupiers in the Serê Metîna Resistance Area in the Metîna region were struck and one radar system was destroyed.”[1]