our interviews

Since 2015, the Turkish state has been implementing a war strategy based on the support of international forces as well as regional forces such as Iraq, which is essentially made possible by the betrayal of the KDP. How has this developed in practice over the last nine years? What were its original goals, and what has become of them?

We have been at war with the genocidal colonialist Turkish state for forty years. The results of this lay open in front of the eyes of everyone. The genocidal colonialist enemy has been weakened, pushed back, and crushed, while the Kurdish freedom revolution has grown and reached a new level. With its paradigm, our movement is leading the revolution in the Middle East and is influencing the world. In 2024, this positive trend continued to increase. The historical resistance of the Kurdish freedom guerrilla on the one hand, and the increasing influence of our struggle in Kurdistan, the Middle East, and the world within the scope of the global freedom campaign for the physical freedom of Rêber Apo¹ and the democratic solution of the Kurdish question on the other hand, revealed how the year 2024 has passed and come to an end.

Essentially it must be lined out that if it were not for the support of the KDP, the Turkish state would not have attempted such an invasion, the invading Turkish army would not have been able to step into the areas where it is now trying to hold on with its advanced technology. Again, in the places where it comes and tries to establish itself, it can only stay based on the support of the KDP. Without the KDP’s support for the Turkish army and the obstacles it creates for the guerrillas, the Turkish army cannot hold on to the places it is in.

The fascist AKP-MHP government, with an intensity and violence exceeding the past, put into effect its war strategy and concept, which was previously prepared within the scope of the so-called ‘collapse plan’ on July 24, 2024, and aimed at Kurdish genocide on the basis of the liquidation of our movement. In addition to all the technical and military power of the state, it has mobilized its political, economic, diplomatic, and geopolitical means on the basis of this concept. It is receiving the support of many powers and states, especially from NATO members. Again, it has pushed collaboration and treason. It has reorganized the existing political, military, and economic order in Turkey to achieve its goal. The parliamentary order was replaced by the order of fascist dictatorship. With all these preparations and support, our movement and our people have been attacked on the basis of the liquidation and genocide concept for more than nine years. In addition to so many fascist attacks, an intense special war has also been waged. On the one hand, the society has been tried to be pinched and intimidated under the fascist aggression, and it has tried to play with the society with all kinds of dirty, immoral methods and to cause decay by abusing the media that is fully under its control. On the other hand, in order to conceal the unjust, dirty, immoral war it waged against the Kurdish people and to prevent the development of a reaction in society, it waged an intensive special war on the society in Turkey and tried to control society by constantly developing nationalism, racism, and Kurdish hostility through perception. It aimed to enter the second century of the republic by having completed the Kurdish genocide. However, the AKP-MHP government did not achieve its goal and could not realize its plan.

As of the fall of 2023, the guerrilla took the initiative and began to deal heavy blows to the Turkish army, and this continued to increase throughout 2024. This initiative moved from the mountains to the city and reached its peak with the action against the TAI in Ankara. The initiative taken by the guerrilla in the war was taken by the people and democratic forces on the political dimension when the election took place on March 31. The fascist bloc of the AKP-MHP was defeated in these municipal elections. This was the second major blow to the enemy after the guerrilla’s breakthrough. Thus, the year 2024 has been a year in which the fascist mentality and the power have been struck and weakened. As a result, while the fascist power entered the second century of the republic with defeats and disappointments, the Kurdish question imposed its solution with greater urgency. The fascist government suffered such a defeat that it had to admit that it had no solution through the mouth of Devlet Bahceli and turned to Rêber Apo to develop a solution.

In the current situation, the Turkish state has turned into a ship that has lost its course. It is unable to move forward on the path it has set its sights on, but it has not given up its genocidal mentality and politics and drifts off; where to is still unclear. It has its eyes on developments abroad and is trying to see what it can do to turn them in its favor and use them for the genocide of Kurds. This is what it did in Iraq. When the Turkish government realized that there were disagreements among Iraqi circles and that this created some gaps, it immediately influenced the Sudani government with promises and developed the known agreement. When the new situation in Syria emerged, it adopted a similar approach there. It is trying to turn the emerging situation into an opportunity to develop the Kurdish genocide plan and on this basis to liquidate the revolution by invading Rojava. In this way, it tries to use every opportunity that arises for its fascist purposes.

On Newroz 2024, the good news was that the guerrillas had succeeded in setting up an air defense system. What impact did this technology and this system have on the course of the war? How did the Kurdish freedom guerrilla manage to stall the Turkish state’s concept of advancing through both ground and air operations? What is the role of sacrificial actions, especially like the one against the Ankara-based TAI, in the resistance?

The guerrilla has always used some form of technique. The guerrilla’s use of technique itself is not new. However, the guerrilla’s main strength does not stem from it, but from its high sacrificial spirit and tactical capability. This is where the guerrilla gets its great strength. As Rêber Apo once put it, “the greatest technique is the human being”. According to this perspective, the guerrilla is based on creating development by deepening in spirit, style, and tactics. But of course, the guerrilla also cares about technique, and its technical capability is quite advanced. The guerrilla is aware that its use in war is increasing and develops its own technique. An ordinary technical possibility in the hands of the enemy can be transformed into a great effect by the guerrilla. This is because the guerrilla fights with a high sacrificial spirit and tactical capability. This is why even the simplest technique is so effective in the hands of the guerrilla. Otherwise, the enemy has much more advanced technical tools and means, he fights only based on technique, but not the guerrilla, the guerrilla fights with high sacrificial spirit, style, and tactics. And this has become more effective by improving its technical capability.

The action against the TAI was an action without any mistake. It marked a peak in every aspect. It was the clear expression of the advanced stage in spirit, style, tactics, and striking power of the guerrilla and has raised the standards of the sacrificial, militant, and tactical fight. It is essential for us to live and fight according to the sacrifice and militancy shown by these comrades. The action against the TAI showed what kind of power the guerrilla has and that it can carry out the biggest actions wherever and whenever it wants. The guerrilla is not only in the mountains but also in the city and wherever there is society. Wherever it is, it can carry out actions with high striking power at any time and strike the enemy.

The HPG monthly publishes its balance sheets, showing the result of the war. What is the level of the ongoing struggle of the HPG and YJA-Star guerrillas in areas such as Zap, Metina, Avashin and Xakurke? How are those who say that they have “closed the lock” on the guerrilla doing in these areas?

In Zap, Metina, Avashin, and Xakurke, the guerrilla is putting up one of the greatest resistances in history. I respectfully commemorate all the comrades who were martyred in this resistance and salute all YJA-Star and HPG fighters and commanders who are currently resisting in the war tunnels and positions. The guerrilla has developed a new war tactic based on the harmony of terrain and war tunnels and has shown that it is successful. The enemy is helpless in the face of this unexpected war tactic. Despite all the high technique, air dominance, heavy bombardment, and the use of banned weapons, he could not break the guerrilla’s resistance and advance as he had planned.

The enemy expression “we have closed the lock” is a purely psychological one. In reality, the occupying Turkish army has never been able to seize the initiative on the battlefields in question. The initiative of the war is in the hands of the guerrilla. Without the support of the KDP, the Turkish army could not stay here even for 24 hours. Only with the support of the KDP can it hold on to its positions. This is not the first time there has been a war in these areas. The Turkish army has been here before with the support of the KDP. Now it has come here again with the support of the KDP. There is no change in the situation. But the Turkish state is trying to hide its failure by saying that they have closed the lock. The lock of the mountains is in the hands of the guerrilla. It is the occupying Turkish army that is locked in Zap, Metina, Avashin, and Xakurke. They cannot move, while the guerrilla, on the other hand, is deployed and in action everywhere.

Based on the fact that the guerrilla has emerged on the stage of history as a pioneering self-defense force, what is the role of the MAK and similar self-defense forces in the resistance? What is the role of the youth of Kurdistan in the self-defense resistance? Based on the fact that the HPG and YJA-Star forces consist mostly of young people and are, in fact, youth organizations, what would you like to say to the youth of Kurdistan?

Self-defense is the basis of our strategy. Our paradigm is based on self-administration and self-defense. Our response to every attack against our existence is self-defense, and the guerrilla is the most organized form of self-defense. Self-defense may not always be on a military level. Sometimes a spoken word functions as self-defense; sometimes the most effective self-defense is a rally of the people. The important aspect is to eliminate the developing attack. In this framework, Rêber Apo is giving the example of the rose and the thorn. The rose tries to protect itself with its thorn. In terms of the life and security of the society, self-defense is an organizational aspect. Without organization, there can be no self-defense. It is wrong to define self-defense only as consciousness and not to organize. Self-defense consciousness is, of course, important, but it cannot be limited to acquiring consciousness. Only if it is organized will it have meaning and function.

We are going through a period in which the Third World War is intensifying, and the place where the war is intensifying the most is Kurdistan. Therefore, we are faced with the issue of self-defense more than ever. As it is known, the genocidal colonialist enemy continues to increase its attacks and plans new attacks. What they have done and are trying to do in Rojava is obvious. It is also developing all kinds of dirty special warfare practices, organizing agents, contras, and mafia networks, and releasing them into society. All these attacks cannot be prevented only by guerrilla warfare. A widespread self-defense organization is needed in all areas of life. In this respect, the most fundamental work in the current period we are in is self-defense work.

And undoubtedly, the defense of society is primarily the duty of the youth. Just as the youth of Kurdistan played a historical role in the past by developing the guerrilla, today they must fulfill their historical responsibility by developing self-defense in society as well as in the guerrilla. The youth must both strengthen the guerrilla by joining it and organize self-defense in society. They must organize a widespread net of self-defense in all areas of life and give the necessary response to every enemy attack everywhere.

The developments in the last months of the year indicate that 2025 will be a year of even higher intensity. What are your predictions and messages for 2025?

We completed a difficult and important year of struggle. Both the historical resistance of the guerrilla, the struggle developed by our people, and the developments achieved within the scope of the global freedom campaign made 2024 a year in which important results were achieved. The biggest success was that we received news from Rêber Apo after four years without it. Near the end of 2024, we learned from Rêber Apo that he was well and greeted everyone. This caused us great joy and gave us strength and morale. We enter 2025 with this joy and morale.

As a movement and people, we are stronger and more organized than ever. We are closer to success than ever before. There are dangers we face, but we can overcome every difficulty with our organized struggle. We are fighting for a just cause. We are fighting for our language, identity, culture, and freedom. We are a people with tens of thousands of martyrs for this cause. Nothing can deter us from our just struggle, nothing can stop us from succeeding. We are determined to turn 2025 into the year of freedom by raising our struggle even higher. Our success in 2025 will give strength to all oppressed people who resist oppression. On this basis, I wish a happy and successful new year to our people, international friends, and humanity.

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