The Union of Kurdistan Communities (KCK) released a written statement regarding Turkey’s ongoing Garê offensive aimed at surrounding Garê mountain that was launched on 9 February northeast of Dohuk in Iraq’s Kurdistan Region.
The KCK statement shared in Hawar News Agency includes the following call:
“Following Turkey’s Defense Minister and Chief of Staff’s meetings in Baghdad and Hewler (Erbil) the genocidal occupying army has launched an occupation attack on Medya Defence Zones on Garê Mountain. Right now, fierce clashes continue between the freedom guerillas and the occupation army.
Garê region is an area within the territories of Başurê (South) Kurdistan far from Turkey’s borders. Air strikes have targeted Garê from time to time, but this is the first time that a ground campaign is launched for an operation of military invasion. Any ground operation is, definitely impossible, without the permission or approval of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP)… The guerilla zones have already been surrounded for the last two-three months by the military forces of the KDP. The Turkish state’s offensive takes place amid such circumstances of such a blockade.
The fact that the military operation of invasion against Garê is being launched on the 22nd anniversary of the international conspiracy, explicitly shows the aims of the Turkish state is to destroy the Kurdish Freedom Movement and to commit genocide against the Kurds.
In Rojava, the Turkish state has carried out invasions and attacks to end the free and democratic life of the Kurdish people. It is a known fact that they have launched these attacks against Rojava with a motto that ‘we will not repeat the mistake we made in the northern Iraq, in the northern Syria.”
The military operations and invasion of the inner areas of South Kurdistan is not only an attack on the Kurdish Freedom Movement in the person of the guerrilla forces, but it also aims at the annihilation of Başurê Kurdistan federation, which they consider a mistake. The people of South Kurdistan and all the people of Kurdistan state that these attacks are not only against the PKK (Kurdistan Workers’ Party) and guerrillas, but also an invasion operation in Bashure Kurdistan. As long as we do not bring these attacks of occupation and all the attacks in all parts of Kurdistan to an end, the Turkish state will continue to attack the Kurdish people’s existence and their free and democratic life.
The Garê offensive does not only target the guerrilla and the Kurdish people’s struggle for freedom led by the PKK, but also the existence, the free and democratic life of the entire Kurdish people. It will not be possible to liberate all parts of Kurdistan unless an attack on a particular part of Kurdistan is considered as an attack on all Kurds. Any achievement the Kurds have succeeded up to date faces the risk of being lost. Therefore, our people, political forces, intellectuals, authors, artists, women and young people in all parts of Kurdistan and all around the world should take a firm stand against the offensive and attacks of occupation targeting the Garê….
Our people in Bakur (Northern Kurdistan), Rojava (Western Kurdistan), Rojhilat (Eastern Kurdistan) and all our people around the world should take an active stand against the occupation and take action as part of our “End isolation, fascism, occupation, time to ensure freedom” campaign.
Especially the youth and women should rise up and join the campaigns to defeat this occupation….
The genocidal colonialist Turkish state attacks the freedom struggle and achievements of the Kurdish people everywhere. Through military offensive and occupation, the Turkish state tries to prevent the Kurds from taking part in the new power balances of the Middle East in a free and democratic way and are actively aiming to complete the Kurdish genocide within this regard. This fact should motivate all Kurds everywhere to rise up against the genocidal and occupying Turkish state, to push these attacks back in order to end the occupation of Kurdistan, secure the Kurdish existence and ensure a free and democratic life be built in all parts of Kurdistan in the 21st century.”
