Young people from Afrin join the PKK, calling for participation in struggle

A group of young people from Afrin announced their participation in the PKK “for the freedom of Kurdish leader Öcalan, revenge for the martyrs of Kurdistan and response to the harassment and insult against our people and our lands".

People's Defence Forces (HPG) are getting stronger with recently growing participation from various parts of Kurdistan. In a statement on Friday, another group of young people announced their participation in the PKK. Young men and women from Afrin announced that they joined the guerrilla struggle under the motto "Werin Cenga Azadiyê" [Come to Fight for Freedom] campaign and added; "We awakened to our duties and responsibilities as young people in this struggle to defend the dignity of the peoples of Kurdistan and the world."

The statement made by the group includes the following:

“The colonialist, genocidal fascist Turkish state continues its genocidal war against the Kurdish people. It carries out violent attacks against women, youth, our people on our land. The fascist occupying Turkish state subjects young men, women and Kurdistan to massacres and death. It uses all its economic, intelligence and military power to put these plans into action.

Despite the various special war methods it has employed, the Turkish army has remained helpless against the epic resistance and struggle of the brave freedom guerrillas in the mountains of Free Kurdistan. Inspired by Kurdish leader Abdullah Öcalan’s ideas, Kurdistan freedom guerrillas have given NATO's second largest army a hard time. Even though the Turkish army has the most advanced warfare technologies, fighters inspired by Öcalan’s ideas have rendered it helpless.

The resistance and struggle carried out by the Kurdistan freedom guerrillas made us remember our duties and responsibilities as Kurdish youth. We realized that we all have duties and responsibilities in this struggle to defend the dignity of all peoples of Kurdistan and the world.

Öcalan's freedom is a matter of life or death for us. We believe that it an dishonour to accept a life in which Öcalan is not free. We are joining the PKK for the freedom of Öcalan, revenge for the martyrs of Kurdistan and in response to the harassment and insult against our people and our lands. We think that the only way to lead a free and honourable life is to become guerrillas. Because the guerrilla is the defender of the honour, dignity and values ​​of the Kurdish people and all humanity.

Today, we are joining the PKK which is in its 44th year and remains as the symbol of resurrection for us. We have joined the guerrillas under the motto "Werin Cenga Azadiyê" as part of the "Dem Dema Azadiyê" [Time for Freedom] campaign. Because this fight is a battle of honour. This fight is a battle for the freedom of the Kurdish and Kurdistan peoples. We are calling on young men and women: Come and join this fight for honour, freedom and victory. The victory belongs to the freedom guerrillas of Kurdistan, the victory belongs to the PKK!”