KCK (Kurdistan Communities Union) Executive Council Member Mustafa Karasu stated that they are prepared for any and all attacks the AKP-MHP fascism has in store for Bashure (Southern) Kurdistan and added: “Like they barely escaped in the Zap and Çelik operations, they will certainly face the same fate in any invasion operations against Southern Kurdistan and Qandil.” Karasu stressed: “Not the Turkish state, nor any other colonialist can ever break the will for resistance in the PKK.”

Mustafa Karasu spoke to the ANF on the anniversary of the attacks by the Turkish army against Southern Kurdistan in 1995 under the name the “Çelik (Steel) Operation”. As a witness of that time, Karasu first spoke about the times the operation took place in: “During 1993-94, the Turkish state wanted to disband our Freedom Movement with extrajudicial killings and large scale operations. It was a time of great war. Thousands of guerillas were martyred during those times. By late 1994 and early 1995, the Turkish state thought they crushed our Freedom Movement, that they could ever crush it. There was a great war in all states. Our Freedom Movement suffered the greatest losses in its history during this time. At such a time, the state thought they had delivered a great blow.”

DECISION MADE IN THE CONGRESS

Mustafa Karasu said they had taken the decision, “We must pull the Turkish state into Bashure Kurdisan and crush them in Bashure Kurdistan”, during the 5th congress held in those times, and added that they had challenged the Turkish state by holding the 5th Congress in Haftanin on the border line. Karasu said the Turkish state entered Bashure Kurdistan on March 20 following this challenge, and continued: “As the Freedom Movement, we were expecting such an action. We had planned for the Turkish army entering the region and being crushed by our guerilla forces in Bashur. They fell right into this trap and organized the Steel Operation, which lasted for close to a month and resulted in the deaths of hundreds of Turkish soldiers. There was such a great war waged that the Turkish soldiers had to flee after a month.”

WILL OF THE TURKISH STATE BROKEN

“The Turkish army became the huntee,” said Mustafa Karasu and added that the guerilla they thought they had disbanded and neutralized delivered a great blow to the Turkish army, which broke the will of the Turkish state to crush the Kurdish guerilla. He said the Steel Operation has great significance in the history of the guerilla struggle in this sense, and stated that the Turkish army commander at the time Osman Pamukoğlu went on television screens to spin tales of great heroism, but in reality experienced a great defeat in this operation, barely escaping in the aftermath.

“WE WERE THERE WITH FRIEND CUMA”

Karasu mentioned Pamukoğlu’s comments of, “We wanted to do a helicopter drop off in Qadishe, but all our helicopters were damaged and we couldn’t complete the drop off. We had to withdraw,” and added the following: “We were there in the area he calls Qadishe, Friend Cuma and I were there. They wanted to do a drop off not 200 meters from where we were, to develop the operation from the south and lay a great siege. But our comrades resisted and voided their plan for a siege. They damaged all helicopters and forced them to withdraw. Not just in Metina, the Turkish army’s military operation was voided in a short time in the Zagros mountains and in the Behdinan region as well.”

SIMILARITY OF STEEL AND ZAP

Karasu stated that the Steel and Zap operations have many similarities and that the Turkish state came to disband and crush the guerilla in both of them, but were crushed and forced to flee instead. Karasu reminded the Turkish state of the Zap and Steel operations in this sense as they claim they will invade Qandil and enter all areas once again today.

THEIR FATE WON’T BE DIFFERENT

“We are prepared for any and all attacks of the AKP-MHP fascism,” said KCK Executive Council Member Mustafa Karasu, and added: “They will be met by the vanguard guerilla. Like they barely escaped in the Zap and Steel operations, any invasion operation against Southern Kurdistan or Qandil will certainly be met with the same fate.”

THE PKK HAS THE WILL FOR RESISTANCE

Karasu pointed out the great role the militias from Botan played in the Steel Operation in the person of Martyr Piling, and added that the guerilla and the people of Southern Kurdistan will once again fight shoulder to shoulder in the case of a similar operation. KCK Executive Council Member Mustafa Karasu stated that those who think the PKK is having a hard time, or that the PKK is about to surrender, don’t know the reality of the PKK still and stressed: “PKK will pay the price, but will never surrender. Not the Turkish state, nor any other colonialist can ever break the will for resistance in the PKK.”