HPG Commander Silêmanî: “When the guerrillas and the people stand together, nobody can with them!”

Botan Silêmanî is one of the commanders of the People’s Defense Forces (HPG). He speaks about the political situation, the war in the Medya Defense Areas and the collaboration of Kurdish forces with Turkish fascism. The guerrilla commander describes the attacks as part of an attempt that has been going on for years to implement “a policy of genocide” against the Kurdish people and to plunder the region. “This is how they want to take over the resources of this country. Sometimes they resort to international conspiracies, sometimes to regional agreements. With his mental and ideological stance, Rêber Apo [Abdullah Öcalan] developed a response to these attacks and took steps towards freedom, success and humanity. This, of course, represents a problem for international and regional powers.”

“Freedom movement under the leadership of Rêber Apo has destroyed all conspiracies”

Commander Silêmanî added: “Rêber Apo was taken hostage by the international conspiracy. This is how the goals of the international powers for Kurdistan and the Middle East were thought to be achieved. Rêber Apo is now fighting against this system on the prison island of Imrali. Now the fascist Turkish state, with the support of international powers, especially the US, wants to further tighten Rêber Apo’s isolation and put him in a situation in which he can no longer even breathe. They want to cut off relations between Rêber Apo and the people and thus implement their intentions to annihilate our movement. The Freedom Movement, led by Leader Apo, has foiled all these conspiracies. The freedom movement took successful steps on its own ideological and humanistic basis.”

“Man-made technology can be neutralized by people”

Commander Botan Silêmanî reports that the Turkish state is using the most modern warplanes and all sorts of heavy weapons and technology to occupy Kurdistan. “Our young comrades and women under the leadership of the Kurdish freedom guerrilla act with great determination against the Turkish invasion. With the determination they received from Rêber Apo, they are the guerrillas of the democratic modernity. They take a stand against Turkish aggression with humanity, the striving for freedom and democracy.

The Turkish state has put all its hopes in war technology, but it does not know that the will of the people is stronger. This technology was produced by men. Therefore, this technology can be neutralized with the appropriate methods. This is evident today in practice. In Mamreşo, Zendûra, Metîna, Heftanîn and Avashîn, the enemy has not been able to penetrate the war tunnels for months, because the friends inside do not allow it. The Turkish state does not manage to penetrate the tunnel systems itself, so they send dogs.”

“They want to burn Kurdistan to ashes”

Commander Silêmanî continued: “The Kurdish people should know well this enemy who burns down the flowers on our mountains, the pastures and the trees of our country. The enemy wants to turn Kurdistan into ashes and desert in order to depopulate the region. We are facing such an enemy here.

Today the KDP is the vanguard of the Turkish state. The people in Kurdistan, especially in South Kurdistan and Behdinan, have to stand up and protest violently. The practice of the KDP must not be accepted. We know that the KDP has waged a war between Kurds before. In 1992 it attacked the PKK. From 1994 to 1997 the KDP waged a civil war in South Kurdistan. As a result, countless young people have been killed and the population of South Kurdistan has been driven into submission. For the sake of its own family interests, the KDP trampled the hopes of the youth of South Kurdistan, the peoples of Kurdistan and the Kurdish nation. That is not right.”

“Not to protest means to accept the situation”

Commander Silêmanî said: “The people in South Kurdistan and the other parts of Kurdistan, especially the youth of South Kurdistan, must not remain silent. If there is no protest, it means accepting this practice. For this reason, there should be large protests against the attitude of the KDP and against the Turkish invasion.”

“Guerrillas and people must stand together”

The guerrilla commander ends his remarks with the words: “The actions of the guerrillas with the most different methods have taken the Turkish state by surprise. When the guerrillas and the people are united, when they stand shoulder to shoulder, nobody can cross their path. When the guerrillas and the people are united, the guerrillas can destroy all plans of the enemy, protect and liberate the people. The daughters and sons of this country are fighting against the fascist Turkish state that is burning our plains, cities and animals. The daughters and sons of this land fall with great courage, and give their blood to fight the enemy.”

“Join the struggle for freedom”

The guerrilla commander underlined that “the fact that the KDP has taken the lead in the Turkish invasion is clear. The people in Kurdistan should not accept this and take a stand against this situation. I appeal to all young people in South Kurdistan: Join the war of freedom. Let us stand together against all attacks by the Turkish state. Let us stand shoulder to shoulder against the invaders, drive the enemy out of our country and deprive them of the courage to implement another plan of invasion against Kurdistan.”