The Press Office of the People’s Defense Forces (HPG) released a statement providing information about the increasingly ongoing attacks by the Turkish army in the guerrilla-held Medya Defense Zones in southern Kurdistan (northern Iraq) since the announcement of the unilateral ceasefire by the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) following a call by Kurdish leader Abdullah Öcalan.

A unit of the Şehîd Delal Air Defense Forces shot down a Turkish UCAV (Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicle), said the HPG statement on Monday, stressing that: “Should these attacks continue, we have the right to shoot down such reconnaissance aircraft for defense purposes.”

The HPG statement said: “The ceasefire decision taken by our party, the PKK, following the historic call of Leader Apo [Abdullah Öcalan] is being strictly implemented by our forces. However, the reconnaissance activities of the Turkish army forces against our areas have intensified amid continued air strikes and artillery shelling. Every reconnaissance activity is an attack because it prepares for an attack. Since the ceasefire was declared, Turkish army forces have carried out 8 attacks with banned weapons, 93 air strikes and 5052 attacks with heavy weapons, artillery and howitzers against the Medya Defense Zones.

In response, a unit of our Şehîd Delal Air Defense Forces shot down an Akıncı-type UCAV, which was flying at high altitude in the skies of Qandil at 19:20 on March 16, 2025. Should these attacks continue, we have the right to shoot down such reconnaissance drones for defense purposes and this task will be carried out.”

Background

On 27 February, the İmralı Delegation of the Peoples' Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) held a meeting with the Kurdish People’s Leader, Abdullah Öcalan, in İmralı F Type High Security Closed Prison.

The delegation then conveyed the ‘Call for Peace and Democratic Society’ made by Abdullah Öcalan. The Kurdish leader highlighted the inevitable need for a democratic society and political space and called on all groups to lay their arms and the PKK to dissolve itself.

Responding to Öcalan’s call on 1 March, the Executive Committee of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) said: “We agree with the content of the call as it is and state that we will fully comply with and implement the requirements of the call on our part. However, we would like to underline that democratic politics and legal grounds must also be secured for its success.”

In order to pave the way for the implementation of Öcalan’s Call for Peace and Democratic Society, the PKK declared a ceasefire, stating: “None of our forces will take armed action unless attacked. Beyond this, only the practical leadership of Leader Öcalan can make matters such as laying down arms practical.”

The PKK said they were also ready to convene the party congress as Öcalan asked, adding, “In order for this to happen, a suitable security environment must be created, and Leader Öcalan must personally direct and lead it to make it successful. However, only Leader Öcalan can take over the leadership of the era of peace and democratic society.”

In a statement on 2 March, the Headquarters Command of the People's Defense Center (HSM) announced that "the ceasefire decision taken by our Party PKK, within the framework of the historic call made by Leader Apo, as of March 1, 2025, is valid for all our forces."

HSM stressed that: "Undoubtedly, in the face of potential attacks, our forces have the fundamental right to defend themselves and to respond within the framework of legitimate self-defense. Our forces also retain the right to retaliate against continuous attacks."