After years of wars: Kurdistan and Vietnam

The Turkish state sees no reason to explain the consequences of its murderous campaign against the Kurdish people. It simply explains erroneous figures for propaganda. For 35 years, they have kept the public in the dark about what happened on the battlefield. The people of Turkey does not see the need to seriously assess the 35-year war’s financial and psychological costs. Efforts in this direction are being hindered by state brutality.

Despite the Turkish state’s efforts to conceal the consequences and costs of the war, the Kurdish Freedom Movement details what occurred.

Despite various limitations, all the events have been shared routinely in the last 6 years, particularly the results of fighting since the early 2000s. It serves as a significant source of data for assessing the intensity and cost of the war.

VIETNAM COMPARISON

The similarities between the Kurdish struggle and other guerrilla wars are addressed, and comparisons are drawn, the most prominent being the Vietnam War. These assessments, in terms of similarities and power balances, hint at significant outcomes on the scope of the fighting in Kurdistan.

The Vietnam War lasted more than two decades, but the era during which America was involved was the most intense.

Let’s compare the ten years of the Vietnam Struggle to the recent six years of the Kurdistan war. The last ten years of the Vietnam War were the most intensive, and the last six years of the Kurdistan war, which has been ongoing since 1984, are regarded as the most severe era, lasting from 2015 to 2021.

USA’S TEN YEARS IN VIETNAM

The United States, which entered the war in Vietnam in 1963 and lost in 1973, used 8 million tons of bombs and 15 million tons of ammunition throughout this period.

The war’s cost was estimated to be 350 billion dollars. Under public pressure, the cost and consequences of the war were disclosed. As a result, the people recognized the moral and material damage caused by this immoral war and exerted significant pressure on the government to end it.

Consequently, having a super-military force and vast resources was insufficient to prevent loss in an unjust war.

LAST 6 YEARS OF KURDISTAN

Looking at the facts from the last six years of the 35-year genocidal war waged by the Turkish state against the Kurdish people, it is clear that it has far surpassed the Vietnam War.

The table below is based on data from the HPG Press Center from July 2015 to November 2021:

* 4,881 aerial bombardments and 3,824 artillery bombardments were carried out.

* Based on the weights (minimum weight) of the ammunition possessed and used by the Turkish army, it is estimated that 4 million 460 thousand 614 tons of bombs were used.

* The Turkish army launched 1,865 attacks; there were 6561 clashes. When the average duration of operations and combat statistics are calculated, it is discovered that the amount of ammunition utilized is around 5 million tons.

WHY ARE THESE NUMBERS MISSING?

When the 1984-2015 period, self-government resistance, and the occupation attacks on Rojava after 2018 are added to the calculation reports of Kurdistan’s 6-year conflict, it is concluded that at least 25 million tons of bombs were used on average.

Furthermore, the information published in the official records of BIM is computed in single digits; with repeated attacks that target a location throughout the day recorded as one single bombardment.

Because the outcomes of various bombardments and conflicts can be clarified only after a long period of time due to the current state of war, this information is not included in the official daily statements of HPG, but is detailed in the records.

ECONOMIC COST CANNOT BE CALCULATED

The economic impact of the last six years of this war is difficult to calculate because of the Turkish state’s blackout.

Taking into account not only the cost of the bombs, but also the cost of maintaining the planes that bombard every day, the amount of fuel, the replacement of parts, the money spent on the mercenary army, the expenses incurred in each operation, the vehicles used in military shipments, and other expenses, a massive balance sheet is possible.

It is apparent that the Turkish state’s military policy has resulted in economic collapse as well as moral and physical damage.