PKK Executive Committee Member Murat Karayılan spoke to the Dengê Welat radio about the developments in Afrin. Highlights from Karayılan’s interview are as follows:

“For 40 days, a historic resistance has been waged against the Turkish state’s invasion attacks. The resistance in Afrin creates a new situation. There is self defense and a resistance for dignity waged against the invasion and genocide. A new example is created for the whole of humanity.”

“We must see this: If the Afrin resistance continues to develop like this and achieves results, that will deliver humanity from a grave danger. As you know, ISIS has been organized against the region, and our people played a key role in the disbanding process of ISIS. Taking ISIS and Al Nusra with them, the AKP-MHP network is trying to pose a grave threat to the peoples of the region, Northern Syrian democracy, and the future of the Kurdish people and Syria. They are looking to reestablish the ISIS threat. That is why, if this wave of aggression can be broken in Afrin, the whole of humanity will win. Before all, the peoples of the region, the peoples of Turkey and the Kurdish people will win. A new era will begin.”

“Will Erdoğan leave Syria? No. Under such conditions, he wouldn’t leave Afrin, or Idlib, or Bab. On top of that he will want to reach Aleppo. Like Cyprus, he will try to stay there for years. Won’t that lead to the fracturing of Syria? If Russia wants to build a Syria in accordance with their own desires, how can they, under such circumstances?”

“Here we see the politics and the lack of conscience of Capitalist Modernity again. Everybody complains about the violations and the attacks of the Turkish state that tramples human rights, but they just watch. So, all powers are responsible for these attacks.”

“AKP and MHP are in an alliance, but in truth, AKP has assumed the ideology of MHP. Today there is a fascist and nationalist administration in Turkey. The truth of the AKP has been understood. They used to tell some Kurds they were their friends, but now we can see that AKP acts in animosity towards them as well. First, nobody who says they are Kurdish should remain in these anti-Kurdish, fascist and nationalist organizations. If we break the AKP and MHP regime’s attacks on Afrin today, our peoples will achieve a victory. A free and democratic era will begin for both the Kurdish people and the peoples of Turkey. We must underline that Turkey will be defeated in Afrin. To guarantee this defeat, everybody must take action and make sacrifices. If this means giving up life, so be it. We should not miss this historic opportunity.”