Speaking at the 12th Extraordinary Congress of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), where the organization decided to dissolve its armed structure and end its military struggle, Murat Karayılan stated that they would lead this critical process to success alongside President Öcalan.

Karayılan emphasized that they had learned valuable lessons from the experiences of 2002 to 2004 and declared that no one would be able to encircle, suffocate, or eliminate the PKK. He also warned that if the Turkish state continues to insist on violence, they are ready to respond in a way it will understand.

As a delegate of the 12th Congress of the PKK, Karayılan shared the following assessment: “The most valuable thing in this critical process is unity. We have learned lessons from the experiences of 2002 to 2004. There are shortcomings, yes, but this sense of unity is something very positive. I still want to fully grasp this new phase. I am emotional, because we have paid a heavy price. That is why the question of how we will lead this critical process to success causes me great concern. But I believe we will carry President Öcalan’s line to success.

I see that President Öcalan is acting with great determination and morale, and that gives me confidence. Because he has taken past experiences into account. I know that if President Öcalan is not fully convinced of something, he would not insist on it. So it means he is certain. This is what we trust. Otherwise, we cannot speak of trust when it comes to the Turkish state. The practices of the Turkish state are well known. But we fully trust in President Öcalan’s path and methods.”

No one can encircle or eliminate us

Karayılan continued his remarks by highlighting the strategic context in the region:

“First of all, the current conjuncture in the Middle East and Kurdistan allows for the continuation of armed struggle. Why? This is something our comrades have also discussed with President Öcalan, because a Third World War is taking place in the region, and Kurdistan is at its epicenter. If a force like the PKK, which has proven itself on the ground, wages war in these lands, there will be those who support it and seek relations. This opportunity exists. No one can encircle us, suffocate us, or eliminate us. That is the first point.”

We trust both President Öcalan and our doctrine of warfare

Karayılan outlined the strategic direction adopted by the movement, referring to recent internal deliberations: “Second, this winter, the Command Council held a meeting that lasted nine days. We made several decisions there and reached a unified doctrine. I believe you are all aware of this. This doctrine is not something ordinary; it is the expression of 41 years of revolutionary people’s warfare experience, shaped according to President Öcalan’s perspectives. It reflects the labor and sacrifices of our martyrs. We believe that with this doctrine, we will achieve victory. I still believe in it. Of course, even more than that, we believe in President Öcalan. From the very beginning, we have trusted in the initiative launched by President Öcalan. At the same time, we also trust in the new doctrine of warfare we have developed. This will lead us to results. Yes, sometimes we fail to act in a timely manner, we are late in certain things. But even so, we have reached a certain strength and level today. War is waged with quality, tactics, and technique, and we possess all of these. The Kurdistan Freedom Guerrilla and the PKK possess all of these.”

We know how to respond in the language they understand if they insist on violence

Karayılan stated that the guerrilla forces have gained extensive experience in tunnel warfare and tactical operations with specialized units: “We have become highly skilled in tunnel warfare and unit-based operations. Our comrades have mastered this form of combat over the past five years. We paid a heavy price to gain this experience. After our initial inexperience in areas like Avaşîn, Mam Reşo, and Girê Sor, we have reached a certain level today. That progress has come through real struggle. The spirit of self-sacrifice grounded in the Apoist ideology is now stronger than ever within our ranks. It is not just a few self-sacrificing militants or only the Special Forces, those like Rûken-Sarya, Rojhat-Erdal, or Asya-Rojger, who carry out actions. Every comrade on the battlefield is a self-sacrificing militant. The operation carried out by Martyr Bager Gever and Avzem, together with comrades Şerzan and Arîn, demonstrates the unwavering determination of our fedai spirit. This spirit has grown and expanded. We can point to examples from Gabar and Botan. The commanders of Martyr Munzur Fortress executed agile tactics, combining strategy and technique, closely following the enemy’s moves and adapting accordingly. These battlefield experiences have taken us to a new level. Now the enemy claims that ‘the PKK has weakened.’ But the PKK is not just a guerrilla force, it is the people. It has thousands of cadres. It is millions strong. The PKK is currently in its most powerful phase.

Another point is that while the enemy has enhanced its aviation technology, we have reached a stage where we can neutralize its movements, technical superiority, and intelligence methods. Our own technical capabilities have advanced. For instance, we have managed to shoot down reconnaissance aircraft. As far as we know, only Iran, Turkey, and Israel can do that in this region. Despite the presence of many states in the region, others cannot. Today, we can analyze modern technology and integrate artificial intelligence into warfare. Kurdish youth committed to the Apoist line have reached a level not only of self-sacrifice but also of creative innovation. They are now capable of developing new-era military technology. This is a fact.

We have reached a certain stage in drone warfare. We have developed the ability to strike targets remotely. These developments happened only recently. Of course, it’s open to criticism. We had written to our comrades two years ago saying, ‘Do you intend to develop these capabilities only after we are all martyred?’ Progress was being delayed. But now, we have the means. In the past, we had no underground warfare capabilities. We fought above ground. In the past, there were no elite teams that could fight with this level of flexibility and ideological commitment. There were only squads and platoons. Today, we have those teams. In the past, we lacked aviation capabilities. Today we have them, and we can enhance them even further. We also didn’t have this level of battlefield experience. Today, we do. For that reason, we are capable of developing a guerrilla warfare strategy for the 21st century, one that is appropriate for this new era. We remain fully committed to President Öcalan’s line and vision. We will carry forward his path. I believe this congress will decide to do exactly that. However, if the Turkish state still refuses to change its path and continues to insist on violence, then we know how to respond in the language it understands. Let everyone be aware of this.”