The ''most wretched, shameful, embarrassing and fruitless operation'' of the Turkish army
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01 March 2008 /International Bulletin / No: 67

With its denial and annihilation policy, the fascist Turkish regime has been leading a dirty war against the Kurdish nation for decades. In the course of this war, not only military offensives in Northern Kurdistan (East Turkey) took place continuously in the past but also operations in Southern Kurdistan (Northern Iraq). One aim of these operations is to weaken the national Kurdish liberation struggle and its armed force HPG (People's Defence Force). In the last years there has also developed the anxiety of the Turkish bourgeois state fearing the ongoing progress of the formation of a Kurdish state in Southern Kurdistan which it wants to hinder at any cost and realise fascism's dreams of expansion towards the petrol-rich areas of Mosul and Kirkuk.
On December 16, 2007 the colonial fascist Turkish dictatorship started a new air attack on Southern Kurdistan. After being not very successful, just as like their other air attacks had been, the fascist dictatorship managed to get the permission from US imperialism for a temporary limited land operation. Although US imperialists principally agree with the fascist dictatorship to oppress militant national liberation struggles as such of the Kurdish nation in Northern Kurdistan with all means, there are still differences in the interests between the imperialist big power and its servant-vassal because of the current political situation and the balance of power in the Middle East. The USA got bogged down in the quagmire and do not want to lose the support of their collaborators under the leadership of Barzani and Talabani. Because of this reason, the USA does not want to tax the relation between its „strategic partners" and its eager supporters in Southern Kurdistan that plan to get a separate state for the collaboration with imperialism. However, after Barzani and Talabani had guaranteed not to defend their Kurdish brothers and will do nothing against the occupation of the Kurdistan Autonomous Region, too, the USA gave Turkey the green light for the land operations. For sure, the USA has ensured further advantages during the bargaining such as a more active support of the colonial Turkish dictatorship for its policy of occupation related to the Greater Middle East Project.
Accompanied by a huge chauvinist propaganda wave the land operation was then started on February 21; 10,000 Turkish soldiers exceeded the border of Southern Kurdistan.
The Turkish army had lost its prestige and political scope after the elections on July 22 and the presidential elections. One reason for the generals urging for the cross-border operation has been the aim to re-strengthen its own position considering political influence as well as the mass basis. This project, however, failed completely!
The Turkish army hit on a Kurdish liberation army that was fighting heroically and was good organised under difficult conditions and had to face heavy blows yet in the first days of the operation. Dead soldiers, helicopters shot off and a call by the HPG Headquarter Commander to all Kurdish youth to start revolts in the metropolises of Turkey were the answer to the colonial occupation. The Kurdish people and the guerrilla did not fall back before the brutal attacks but determinedly defended their posts.
After 8 days everything took a turn which was surprising for many: at the morning of February 29, the Turkish army had completely withdrawn from Southern Kurdistan, and even Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan seemed to be taken by surprise because of the withdrawal. While the whole world was discussing the events in the media, the authorities of Turkey kept silent. The first official news on the withdrawal of the Turkish army came from the Iraqi Foreign Minister Hosyar Zebari. He told Reuters that "the Turkish soldiers have started to withdraw from Northern Iraq on 4am."
The prime minister told in the morning that „the operation continues determinedly."
The general staff always assured that the operation will take so long as the goals will be achieved. In the statement made by the general staff on the afternoon of February 29 it was confirmed that all army forces had been withdrawn from Northern Iraq and claimed that the goals planned had been achieved and this would be the only reason for the withdrawal, there was no foreign influence that took this decision. At the same time, however, the Turkish army admitted: "There is no doubt that a terror organisation cannot be totally annihilated with an operation carried out in one region." The government and the generals got more and more caught up in contradictions to conceal the real cause for the sudden end of the operation.
It is clear that the Turkish army did not achieve any serious military goals in the fight against the HPG. This is even admitted openly by people in their own ranks. Retired army commander Hasan Kundakci said that some achievements were made, but that the most important ones such as the posts in the region of Zap could have only be achieved in the following days
It seems that the reason for this sudden withdrawal of the colonial fascist army from Southern Kurdistan is: the US imperialism laid down the law.
On February 28, US Foreign Minister Robert Gates went to Ankara to meet the president, prime minister, general staff and the defence minister and raised the declaration of Bush "to withdraw as quickly as possible." As quickly as the operation had been started after the decision of the National Security Council; after the command of the USA it ended even quicker. The Turkish regime has experienced a big defeat in front of the whole world and particularly the labourers of Turkey and Northern Kurdistan. Within hours after the big masters had called them off, the soldiers sat already in their caserns. In future, they will not that easily make big speeches on the heroic battle of the Turkish army, the independence from foreign forces and their victory during the land operations. The fascist regime did neither manage to strike a heavy blow against the Kurdish national movement nor improve its image that has been tarnished - it failed on all fields!
According to the Turkish general staff's statement, 24 Turkish soldiers and 3 village guards as well as 240 PKK guerrillas died in the land operations. The HPG instead proclaimed that more than 125 soldiers were killed in the operations and 9 guerrillas turned into martyrs. The HPG evaluated the operation of the Turkish army as the "most wretched, shameful, embarrassing and fruitless operation of its history".
With this heroic resistance, our Kurdish people has shown once more that it will not bow its head to the brutal oppression of the colonialist fascist dictatorship but is ready to continue the struggle for its legitimates demands with all means. This glorious battle, the Kurdish people has fought in the mountains of Southern Kurdistan is also a big opportunity to carry this also to the streets, squares, labouring districts and factories of Turkey and Northern Kurdistan.
 

 

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The ''most wretched, shameful, embarrassing and fruitless operation'' of the Turkish army
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01 March 2008 /International Bulletin / No: 67

With its denial and annihilation policy, the fascist Turkish regime has been leading a dirty war against the Kurdish nation for decades. In the course of this war, not only military offensives in Northern Kurdistan (East Turkey) took place continuously in the past but also operations in Southern Kurdistan (Northern Iraq). One aim of these operations is to weaken the national Kurdish liberation struggle and its armed force HPG (People's Defence Force). In the last years there has also developed the anxiety of the Turkish bourgeois state fearing the ongoing progress of the formation of a Kurdish state in Southern Kurdistan which it wants to hinder at any cost and realise fascism's dreams of expansion towards the petrol-rich areas of Mosul and Kirkuk.
On December 16, 2007 the colonial fascist Turkish dictatorship started a new air attack on Southern Kurdistan. After being not very successful, just as like their other air attacks had been, the fascist dictatorship managed to get the permission from US imperialism for a temporary limited land operation. Although US imperialists principally agree with the fascist dictatorship to oppress militant national liberation struggles as such of the Kurdish nation in Northern Kurdistan with all means, there are still differences in the interests between the imperialist big power and its servant-vassal because of the current political situation and the balance of power in the Middle East. The USA got bogged down in the quagmire and do not want to lose the support of their collaborators under the leadership of Barzani and Talabani. Because of this reason, the USA does not want to tax the relation between its „strategic partners" and its eager supporters in Southern Kurdistan that plan to get a separate state for the collaboration with imperialism. However, after Barzani and Talabani had guaranteed not to defend their Kurdish brothers and will do nothing against the occupation of the Kurdistan Autonomous Region, too, the USA gave Turkey the green light for the land operations. For sure, the USA has ensured further advantages during the bargaining such as a more active support of the colonial Turkish dictatorship for its policy of occupation related to the Greater Middle East Project.
Accompanied by a huge chauvinist propaganda wave the land operation was then started on February 21; 10,000 Turkish soldiers exceeded the border of Southern Kurdistan.
The Turkish army had lost its prestige and political scope after the elections on July 22 and the presidential elections. One reason for the generals urging for the cross-border operation has been the aim to re-strengthen its own position considering political influence as well as the mass basis. This project, however, failed completely!
The Turkish army hit on a Kurdish liberation army that was fighting heroically and was good organised under difficult conditions and had to face heavy blows yet in the first days of the operation. Dead soldiers, helicopters shot off and a call by the HPG Headquarter Commander to all Kurdish youth to start revolts in the metropolises of Turkey were the answer to the colonial occupation. The Kurdish people and the guerrilla did not fall back before the brutal attacks but determinedly defended their posts.
After 8 days everything took a turn which was surprising for many: at the morning of February 29, the Turkish army had completely withdrawn from Southern Kurdistan, and even Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan seemed to be taken by surprise because of the withdrawal. While the whole world was discussing the events in the media, the authorities of Turkey kept silent. The first official news on the withdrawal of the Turkish army came from the Iraqi Foreign Minister Hosyar Zebari. He told Reuters that "the Turkish soldiers have started to withdraw from Northern Iraq on 4am."
The prime minister told in the morning that „the operation continues determinedly."
The general staff always assured that the operation will take so long as the goals will be achieved. In the statement made by the general staff on the afternoon of February 29 it was confirmed that all army forces had been withdrawn from Northern Iraq and claimed that the goals planned had been achieved and this would be the only reason for the withdrawal, there was no foreign influence that took this decision. At the same time, however, the Turkish army admitted: "There is no doubt that a terror organisation cannot be totally annihilated with an operation carried out in one region." The government and the generals got more and more caught up in contradictions to conceal the real cause for the sudden end of the operation.
It is clear that the Turkish army did not achieve any serious military goals in the fight against the HPG. This is even admitted openly by people in their own ranks. Retired army commander Hasan Kundakci said that some achievements were made, but that the most important ones such as the posts in the region of Zap could have only be achieved in the following days
It seems that the reason for this sudden withdrawal of the colonial fascist army from Southern Kurdistan is: the US imperialism laid down the law.
On February 28, US Foreign Minister Robert Gates went to Ankara to meet the president, prime minister, general staff and the defence minister and raised the declaration of Bush "to withdraw as quickly as possible." As quickly as the operation had been started after the decision of the National Security Council; after the command of the USA it ended even quicker. The Turkish regime has experienced a big defeat in front of the whole world and particularly the labourers of Turkey and Northern Kurdistan. Within hours after the big masters had called them off, the soldiers sat already in their caserns. In future, they will not that easily make big speeches on the heroic battle of the Turkish army, the independence from foreign forces and their victory during the land operations. The fascist regime did neither manage to strike a heavy blow against the Kurdish national movement nor improve its image that has been tarnished - it failed on all fields!
According to the Turkish general staff's statement, 24 Turkish soldiers and 3 village guards as well as 240 PKK guerrillas died in the land operations. The HPG instead proclaimed that more than 125 soldiers were killed in the operations and 9 guerrillas turned into martyrs. The HPG evaluated the operation of the Turkish army as the "most wretched, shameful, embarrassing and fruitless operation of its history".
With this heroic resistance, our Kurdish people has shown once more that it will not bow its head to the brutal oppression of the colonialist fascist dictatorship but is ready to continue the struggle for its legitimates demands with all means. This glorious battle, the Kurdish people has fought in the mountains of Southern Kurdistan is also a big opportunity to carry this also to the streets, squares, labouring districts and factories of Turkey and Northern Kurdistan.