Guerrillas know their terrain well and reckon with all circumstances. They do not subject themselves to the seasons, but develop the ability to strike at any time, under the most impossible conditions. The recent revolutionary operations in the Medya Defence Zones, in which dozens of Turkish soldiers died, have shown this. The Turkish troops are shocked by this latest operation, because they had not expected that their invasion of South Kurdistan would actually put them in the hands of the guerrillas.

‘The guerrillas represent the greatest obstacle to the occupation of Kurdistan’

The HPG (People’s Defence Forces) continues to deepen their restructuring. This was already evident at the beginning of 2023 with the effective application of the new war strategies. In the current phase, as usual, the guerrillas represent the greatest obstacle to the occupation of Kurdistan by the fascists. With their new tactics and forms of action, the guerrillas were not only able to thwart the enemy’s attacks, but also deal heavy blows.

It has been documented many times how Turkish colonial fascism has broken every law of war in its violent attacks over the past eight years. Attacks that took place under the names “Claw”, “Lock”, “Eagle” etc. were intended to achieve results. However, the invasion forces ended up helpless against the guerrillas and therefore used thermobaric bombs, phosphorus bombs, corrosive gases and chemical weapons, the use of which is prohibited by international conventions. According to the HPG Press Centre, chemical weapons were used against the guerrilla forces 367 times in 2021, 3,152 times in 2022 and 3,000 times in 2023 between 14 April and 14 October. Despite this, the occupying army failed to achieve the desired result and was encircled by the guerrillas.

‘The Turkish army’s strategy plays into the hands of the guerrillas’

Eight years ago, Turkish fascism began using a new strategy in its war of annihilation against the Kurdish people. The invasion of the Medya Defence Zones, described by the Turkish state as a strategy of “destroying terror at its source”, is increasingly backfiring and causing tough times for the fascist Turkish mindset. The invading army was under the illusion that it would be able to neutralise or at least immobilize the guerrillas. However, when developing its strategy, the Turkish state had not reckoned with the fact that it would find itself under siege. The surrounded invasion forces suffered shock after shock in the face of the effective blows they suffered at the hands of the guerrillas. It should not be forgotten that the guerrillas are an asymmetric force. I believe that the fascist army had already forgotten this fact when implementing the strategy of “destroying the source”. Because this strategy of the Turkish army plays into the hands of the guerrillas.

“The guerrillas are everywhere and nowhere at the same time”

So, what did the guerrillas do to counter the enemy’s new strategy? Why did the guerrillas choose such a path and not leave the territories to the enemy? These are questions that need to be answered. We can define these questions as follows. While the soldiers tried to hit the guerrillas in their own areas, they actually made the worst choice for themselves by setting up positions in these areas. Because by settling in these areas, they literally fell into the hands of the guerrillas. In fact, the deployment of Turkish soldiers in some areas was very useful for the guerrillas. It should not be forgotten that the guerrillas know their own terrain well and take all circumstances into account. The guerrillas do not subject themselves to the seasons, but develop the ability to strike at any time under the most impossible conditions. It is not said for nothing that “the guerrilla is everywhere and nowhere at the same time.” Yes, guerrillas are everywhere and nowhere at the same time. In accordance with the reality of war, the freedom guerrillas carry out actions that correspond to their war strategy, and these actions produce effective results. The guerrilla marches, summer or winter, to achieve its goal and does not stop until it achieves results. Because guerrilla means achieving the set goal.

‘We will not let you stay on this land’

The occupying army of the fascist state, which believed it had achieved success by deploying in the guerrilla areas, was shocked as usual when it encountered guerrilla forces. The heavy snowfall caused by the winter did not prevent the guerrillas from achieving their goal. In the footage of the revolutionary operations, the successful actions of the guerrillas despite the harsh winter conditions and all the adversities to reach their goal are seen. Despite the heavy snowfall and harsh winter conditions, the guerrillas cut through the barbed wire without a tremor and move agilely towards their target. The cold-bloodedness, courage and resilience of the guerrillas we see in these images are cause for great admiration for the guerrillas. The action in Xakurke clearly conveys the message: “We will grab you, summer or winter, at every opportunity, you will not get out of here.” While the Turkish army, which suffered 88 casualties during these extensive operations, hid this reality from its own people, the guerrillas publicized this fact every day with the images of the invading troops killed, the identification tags with the names of the soldiers killed, and their bodies burnt by the military.