KCK: Latest Developments Regarding Ongoing Turkish Attack on South Kurdistan

25 June 2021

Dear all,

For more than two months, Turkey has been waging a military occupation campaign in South Kurdistan (North Iraq). In the course of the attacks which started on April 23, the guerrilla has carried out hundreds of actions against the Turkish occupying forces. Political parties, human rights groups, artists and intellectuals from South Kurdistan have called for a united Kurdish resistance against the Turkish occupation. More than 1500 villagers have been forced to leave their homes due to the daily heavy bombardments by Turkish fighter jets and drones. Here are the most important developments of the last days:

On June 24, the the HPG (People`s Defense Forces) published a two-months-balance of the resistance against the Turkish army in South Kurdistan. According to the statement, since April 23 the Turkish army has used chemical weapons 17 times against the guerrilla. The guerrilla carried out 288 attacks against the Turkish occupying forces. The guerrilla`s air forces carried out 39 air strikes on the Turkish forces. 389 invading Turkish forces have so far been punished and 47 more wounded. 54 HPG guerrilla fighters have fallen martyr since April 23, including guerrilla fighters of Arab and Ezidi origin and from all four parts of Kurdistan. In its statement, the HPG vowed to foil the Turkish occupation of South Kurdistan and called on the Kurdish people and the international public to increase their support for the resistance.
On June 22, 2021, the co-Chair of the PUK (Patriotic Union Kurdistan) Lahor Şêx Cengî stated that his party would not join any fight against the PKK and called for a peaceful solution of the current crisis in South Kurdistan.
Turkish bombardments of civilian areas have continued in the recent days. On June 21, Turkish artillery shelling heavily damaged houses and property in the village Qumriyê close to the city Amêdiyê. On June 24, the Mijê village in the Dohuk province was bombed by Turkish fighter jets and drones more than a dozen times.
On June 17, a huge demonstration against the Turkish occupation of South Kurdistan took place in the city of Sulaymaniah. This was the second time in the last weeks that thousands of citizens of Sulaymaniah took to the streets protesting against Turkey`s attacks.

Please don`t hesitate to contact us for more information or interview requests.

Best,

Azad Serdar

KCK Press Office

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