BEHDINAN, ANF – The 15 of August 1984 is an important date for the Turkish-Kurdish conflict as it marks the first PKK (Kurdistan Workers’ Party) attack, led by Mahsum Korkmaz (known as “Agit”).
The 15 of August is remembered throughout Turkey, Kurdistan and Europe by thousands of Kurds.
In the PKK’s second party Congress, which was held from 20 to 25 Augustus 1982 in Daraa (Syria) it was decided that the PKK would start preparing for an insurgency inside Turkey. Training camps were opened in Syria and in Lebanon’s Beqaa Valley and propaganda teams were sent across the border to make contact with the local populations. After years of preparation the PKK launched it’s first major attacks on August 15, 1984. The attack was led by the founder of the PKK’s military wing.
PKK forces attacked the gendarmerie station in Eruh in Siirt killing one gendarmerie soldier and injuring six soldiers and three civilians. Simultaneously PKK forces attacked a gendarmerie open air facility, officer housings and a gendarmerie station in Şemdinli, Hakkâri and killed two police officers and injured one police officer and a soldier.
The first attack was followed up by a raid on a police station in Siirt on August 17 which was soon followed by an attack that killed 3 of General Kenan Evren’s Preidential Guards in Yüksekova and an ambush which killed 8 Turkish soldiers in Çukurca, in Hakkâri province.
15 August Initiative marked in guerrilla areas
15 August Initiative, the operation in which the PKK launched its first attack against Turkish forces, has been marked in Medya Defence Zones in a ceremony attended by the PKK Executive Committee member Murat Karayılan and a large group of guerrillas.
“Kurdistan People’s Defence Forces will continue to struggle for freedom, democracy, fraternity of people and peace in all parts of Kurdistan and will fulfill its duty successfully. Kurdistan Peoples’ Defence Forces will continue to enliven the spirit of 15 August Initiative in a stronger way in its 32nd year”, said Karayılan, who addressed to the guerrillas at the ceremony.
The 31st anniversary of the 15 August Initiative has been celebrated in Medya Defence Zones in a military ceremony attended by the PKK Executive Committee member Murat Karayılan, YJA STAR (Free Women’s Troops) Central Commander Delal Amed, HPG commanders İrfan Amed and Bawer Dersim as well as a large group of guerrillas.
Speaking at the ceremony, PKK Executive Committee member Karayılan told about the importance and the meaning of the 15 August Initiative which has been the start of a new period for the Kurdish people.
Karayılan stressed that 15 August Initiative was the milestone of the liberation struggle of the Kurdish people, calling it a revolution of a resurrection, and commemorated the legendary commander of the PKK who led the 15 August Initiative, Mahsun Korkmaz, and all those who fell in the liberation struggle.
’15 August was a rebellion against slavery and surrender’
Karayılan recalled that the Initiative of 15 August was conducted by a small group and said the first bullet fired has been a rebellion bullet against the imposed slavery and surrender on Kurdish people.
“The first bullet fired on 15 August marked the existence of our people and stopped its downward course”, said Karayılan, adding that it turned the Kurds into a community reclaiming their honour and dignity and developed nationalisation, democratisation and created a revolution in social thought.
Karayılan stressed that the 15 August Initiative was also a struggle of freedom and democracy against the 12 September military fascist coup in Turkey. He said the People’s Defence Forces (HPG) which formed itself on the basis of the spirit of 15 August Initiative has today become a freedom and democracy force of the Middle East defending the dignity of humanity.
‘From Kirkuk to Kobanê’
Karayılan went on recalling that the People’s Defence Forces have long been waging a successful struggle for liberation and democracy against the ISIS gangs in a large area expanding from Kirkuk to Kobanê and defending the gains of the Kurdish people. PKK Executive Committee member further recalled the important role the HPG guerrillas played in Shengal against a total massacre aimed by the ISIS gangs, saving over 150 thousand people from being massacred.
Murat Karayılan stressed in his speech that it was not only the ISIS gangs that suffered a blow, but also the Turkish state and the AKP government in alliance with the gang groups. “The Turkish state led by the AKP government aimed for the elimination of the Kurdistan Liberation Movement and the gains achieved by Kurds in South and West Kurdistan by using the gangs”, said Karayılan.
‘Guerrillas of Kurdistan will well respond to the attacks’
Karayılan drew attention to the bombardments launched by the Turkish army on Medya Defence Zones on July 24 and the political operations started against the Kurdish people across Turkey and North Kurdistan, saying that the AKP government has put into practice an all-out war policy on 24 July in order to realize its dictatorial dreams, to continue the policies of denial and to relieve the pressure and the burden on the ISIS gangs.
Karayılan said the AKP made its biggest mistake on 24 July that it will soon regret as the Kurdistan freedom guerrillas will give the necessary response deserved by the AKP government in the face of the attacks targeting them with the experience of 31 years of fighting and will ask the account of the massacres that the AKP wished to perpetrate in Zergelê and Shengal. Karayılan said the guerrilla forces have reached a professional level capable of responding all kinds of attacks.
‘Those who must leave this country are not guerrillas but the ones dirtying it with their boots’
Karayılan stressed that today the international community, civil society and democratic political circles and peace lovers all call for a democratic resolution and that the Kurdish Liberation Movement undertakes all its responsibility to realize a democratic resolution, recalling all the efforts made by the Kurdish Leader Abdullah Öcalan to build a lasting peace in the last 22 years.
Karayılan then recalled the words of the Turkish PM who said argued that guerrillas must leave the country, and said these lands are the home of the guerrillas, the children of the people and real owners of this country, who cleaned it through their resistance and blood. He said guerrillas will continue to defend freedom and democracy for the peoples of Turkey and the Middle East, and the values of humanity in the region.
‘All the Kurdish people should act with the spirit of 15 August’
Karayılan said Kurdistan People’s Defence Forces will continue to fulfill its duties for the peoples of the region and will use its very legitimate right to self-defence against all the attacks targeting the people.
“Kurdistan Peoples’ Defence Forces will continue to struggle for freedom, democracy, fraternity of people and peace in all parts of Kurdistan and will fulfill its duty successfully for this purpose. Kurdistan Peoples’ Defence Forces will continue to enliven the spirit of 15 August Initiative in a stronger way in its 32nd year”, vowed Karayılan.
“The spirit of 15 August Initiative is the spirit of victory. This spirit is mostly needed now in its 32nd year. Our people must know it well and act in accordance with this spirit and render the march to freedom a victorious one”, said Karayılan, ending his speech by celebrating the Resurrection Fest of the Kurdish people, their political friends and members of the Kurdish Liberation Movement.
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