Village guards deployed to Metina: We cannot move forward, we are mentally down

The village guards deployed to Metina by the invading Turkish state stated that they were unable to make any progress in the areas where the attacks continued and that their psychological state had deteriorated.

The invasion attacks initiated on April 17 by the invading Turkish state in collaboration with the KDP on the Zap, Metîna, and Avaşîn regions of PKK-held Medya Defense Zones in southern Kurdistan (northern Iraq) continue, with intense clashes at several sites. According to reports, the invading Turkish army and special forces affiliated with the KDP, who attempted to enter many areas bombarded by warplanes by land, were forced to withdraw following the clashes.

According to the Mezopotamya Agency (MA), the invading Turkish army hopes to achieve results through village guards in several regions where they are unable to advance. The village guards of Hazım Babat's family in Şırnak's Uludere district and Tahir Adıyaman's family in Beytüşşebap are among the most notable ones in the region.

WE CAN'T PROGRESS DESPITE ALL THE TECHNIQUES

The village guards, who were pushed to the borderline by pressure from Tahir Adiyaman, a Jîrkî tribe member, told MA what had happened in the area. According to a village guard, the regions where they were deported were shelled dozens of times by fighter jets, and the guards were then dispatched to the same area. He stated that violent clashes erupted in the areas where they were deployed alongside Turkish troops and that they were forced to retreat after the retaliation of the guerrilla forces.

Another village guard who took part in the invasion operation reported that despite their best efforts, they were unable to make any progress.

THE SAME PLACE WAS BOMBED 20 TIMES

Another village guard, a Jîrkî tribe member deployed to the borderline, reported that they were repeatedly taken to the Metîna region and stated, "There, before our eyes, the same place was bombed 20 times by warplanes. The soldiers said ‘whoever was there must have been torn apart’. Then they ordered us to move forward. However, the guerrillas there engaged in fighting anew in less than half an hour after the bombardment. It was as if nothing had happened. We've been on a lot of missions as village guards previously, but this is the first time we've seen such a war tactic and such harsh resistance. We were all taken aback by their new battle tactics, which no one had predicted. Members of the organization (PKK) approached up to 5-10 meters from where we were, but we couldn't observe this infiltration."

THEIR MENTAL STATES HAVE DETERIORATED

Remarking that the superiority in the region is in the hands of HPG despite the techniques, UAVs and SIHAs used by the invading Turkish army, the village guard said, “They know the area like the palm of their hands and they act as they like. They have mobile groups. Very heavy clashes are taking place. When we go the region, we are required to stay for one month. Our psychology deteriorates even throughout that time. I don't even want to think about the soldiers who are taking part in the operation. Because none of them is familiar with the area and they are experiencing such mountainous terrain for the first time. As a result, regardless of their technical superiority, they cannot gain an advantage. On one side of us, a harassment fire is started, while bombs are fired on the other.”

SOLDIERS CAN NOT ENGAGE IN HAND-TO-HAND COMBAT

Expressing that soldiers of the Turkish army could not engage in hand-to-hand combat, the village guard said: “Because the forces are unable to engage in combat, mountainous areas are shelled at random with warplanes, SIHAs, and helicopters for hours. Soldiers have been stationed on some bombed-out hills. However, guerrillas routinely carry out attacks at those sites, and it is impossible to verify where these attacks are carried out from. It was literally like hell, and I don't want to go through it again."

The village guard also stated that he would not participate in the operation again due to the challenges he encountered.