In an interview with Sterk TV, Murat Karayılan, Executive Committee member of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) shared details about the Turkish state’s military operation in Gare.
Karayılan shared information that when the Kurdish guerilla forces had completely encircled the Turkish military forces, the Turkish military used chemical gas in order to be able to escape from the area.
“As soon as they arrived, they were faced with heroic resistance. Our friends hit them really hard,” he said. And with time, he said “They understood that they were stuck and so used chemical gas and ran away.”
‘Gare was a breaking point’
Stressing that the failed Gare operation was a turning point for the Turkish army and AKP government Karayılan said: “This is such a deep defeat, a breaking point. Tayyip Erdoğan had to admit for the first time that he had failed.”
Karayılan also shared detailed information regarding the 13 Turkish captives, whom the PKK has been guarding as war prisoners for years and were reported to have been killed at the end of the Operation Gare. “These operational attacks were not launched to save and free the individuals. They wanted to establish their military presence in the middle of Gare region. Anyone who understands the logic of war can understand that this was not a smart move,” he said.
“We are talking about an underground camp, they say this too, that the camp had 7 doors. If you attack such a place with air strikes and various chemical gases, is it possible that anybody can stay alive inside? This is inconceivable. The responsibility of the deaths of the prisoners rests completely with the Turkish authorities. Their brutality, their callousness caused all of this.”
‘Independent committees can visit the area’
Karayılan called for international justice and an independent enquiry and invited an independent international committee to visit Gare and conduct an urgent enquiry regarding the claims of the Turkish State and the PKK.
“We are open. Independent committees can visit the area and conduct an independent enquiry. We have the deceased bodies of our martryed friends. They can take samples from them,” he said.
