PKK (Kurdistan Workers' Party) Executive Council member Murat Karayılan joined the special program of Voice of Kurdistan (Dengê Kurdistan) Radio and evaluated the Turkish state's savagery in Nusaybin's Xerabê Bava village.

Below are the highlights of Karayılan's statements:

COLONIALISM IS AFRAID OF THE KURDS AND THEIR FREEDOM STRUGGLE

"Kurdistan Freedom Movement is making a progress not only militarily but also socially. Today, our society may have expectations against the policies of fascism and cruelty, and may expect us to respond to these with an armed resistance in guerrilla zones. This is a fair and befitting expectation. However, our struggle should advance in the form of a resistance not in military but also in social aspect. Before anything else, we should have a social stance embrace our society and enhance our struggle on this basis. Only in this way can we expand the righteous struggle of Kurdish people both across Turkey and the entire world. Our people experienced the 90s, but what is happening today is very different than what happened then. Today, colonialism is afraid of the Kurds and the Kurdistan Freedom Struggle. It is executing oppression and trying to obstruct the march for freedom because of this fear. Our people should know this and act accordingly.

THE ENEMY IS ATTACKING SOUTH KURDISTAN AFTER FAILING IN THE NORTH AND WEST

Turkish colonialism has increased its aerial attacks on guerrilla zones over the past 3 days. They are carrying out comprehensive attacks. The AKP-MHP state's failures in its attacks on the Kurdistan Freedom Movement this winter is the main reason for these recent attacks. They failed to yield results with their operations against the guerrillas in North Kurdistan and their arrests of Kurdish politicians and representatives as they could not make one single person surrender. They have not managed to make the Kurdish people take a step back, moreover there exists a stance against them. In this sense, they have failed.

On the other hand, they also launched an attack on Rojava Kurdistan, engaged in a mobilization from Jarablus to al-Bab. We had initially stated that the Turkish state would enter a swamp there. Today, they are stuck in that swamp and are working towards getting out of it. They are saying 'We will go to Raqqa, we will carry out a joint operation with the US' and talking of different projects in order to hide and cover up their defeat there. However, the truth is that the Turkish state was defeated in al-Bab and got ridiculed in front of the entire world. Everybody saw their true face and that they do not have a performance like they propagate.

Shortly, they were defeated both in North and Rojava Kurdistan and they clearly do not want these defeats to be seen or brought up by Turkey's public opinion because Turkey is headed for a referendum. They want to create a perception like 'I am successful, I am attacking, I am arresting, I am yielding results, I am destroying the dangers surrounding Turkey.' They exaggerate the dangers surrounding Turkey and misrepresenting what is really going on. They are speaking as if we will conquer South Kurdistan and make West Kurdistan reach the sea, do some things to Turkey. They want to deceive the Turkish society by spreading such fabricated discourses. In this sense, they feel the necessity to launch an attack on South Kurdistan and Medya Defense Zones. Now, they are conducting aerial attacks. Tomorrow, they may carry out other attacks because they need such actions. But of course, guerrillas have preparations on the field. We believe that our biggest war will take place on this field. They may have their plans and calculations, but the guerrillas also have their plans and calculations against them.

THE TURKISH STATE'S DISINFORMATION CAMPAIGN

On this basis, they are carrying out aerial attacks and lying immensely as they make a disinformation campaign. Over the past 10 years, they have been carrying out comprehensive aerial attacks. If we suffered casualties as much as they suggest, none of us would be here today. According to their figures, tens of thousands of guerrillas have died so far. These numbers don't reflect the truth. It is true that we have suffered casualties during the attacks over the past three days. Four of our comrades fell as martyrs and 5 others got injured. They carried out attacks on several areas from Zap to Avashin and Metina. Our guerrillas suffered a few casualties here but the exaggerated figures they give are far away from reflecting the truth.

THIS IS THE BEGINNING OF A MAJOR BATTLE

This is the beginning of a major battle. The war between Turkish colonialism and us will exacerbate and transform into a major and strategic war. I would like to state that nobody should be fooled by the lies of the Turkish state, nobody should become the state's gang, and nobody should be at the front lines for the state. No Kurdish youth should be wasted for the dirty interests of Turkish colonialism. This colonialism is waging a war against the Kurds. No Kurdish youth should be sacrificed and be a pawn of Turkish military. For this reason, I call upon village guards and tribes: The Turkish state is currently weak against the Kurdistan Freedom Movement. It is experiencing defeat. This is why it is attacking your villages and targeting our poor people like wolves with rabies. We see how they have been besieging Xerabê Bava village and perpetrating a cruelty over the past 11 days. They imprison Kurdish politicians that speak of peace day and night. They attack Kurdish youth and women. In other words, they have made the all values and the honour of the Kurdish people a target for themselves. Whether a village guard or not, nobody that calls themselves a Kurd should help this cruel and unjust state. Helping the state means abandoning your religion, nation and humanity. Anyone that has faith and conscience should not unite with this savage state or sell their honor for money.

Of course, certain political groups should also see the savagery of the Turkish state. They may not be siding with us but they should not be bystanders. Cruelty and savagery are taking place in Kurdistan today. And some say “we are watching” or “we are impartial.” There is no impartiality here. There is a savagery targeting our people and anyone that says “I am a Kurd, I am a democrat” should not stand by and watch silently.

This is my call to Kurdish politicians and everyone that says “I am a Kurd, I am a democrat”: Today, the AKP-MHP government is clearly pursuing enmity towards the Kurdish people. And it is using this hostility for an instrument of propaganda. For example, there is a minister that boasts about having detained 1034 people during the operations against Kurds within a week. They have imprisoned numerous Kurdish youth and women in the cities. What have these people done to them? Nothing! They arrested all these people on the grounds that these might organize protests on February 15. They are arresting them even before February 15. It's incredible. Anyone with a conscience should not stay silent on this. Like I said, silence on this equals to abandoning your religion, conscience and faith. Anyone that identifies themselves as a human should listen to their conscience, not remain silent on this atrocity, and embrace the duties of humanity. If you are a person from Kurdistan or living on these lands, you should not act against the culture of these lands. No matter what the conditions are, nobody should stay silent in the face of this savagery."