BEHDINAN – People’s Defense Central Headquarters Commander Murat Karayılan stated that the priority dimension of August 15 was the dimension of protecting humanity and said, “It is the attitude of opposing the genocide against the Kurdish people. The process initiated by the August 15 Initiative for the Kurdish people is a guerrilla resistance process. The guerrilla resistance process is essentially a struggle for existence and self-defense. Otherwise, a war of aggression was not started with August 15; a self-defense and resistance to existence was started. First of all, his weapon size is symbolic. In fact, the ideological, organizational and national dimension of existence is at the forefront. In a sense, it is the breaking of the chains of slavery that have almost come to dominate Kurdish society,” he said.
Murat Karayılan answered ANF’s questions on the occasion of the anniversary of the 15 August Resurrection Day. Here is the first part of the interview:
What is guerrillaism from past to present, how did it emerge and develop?
Before answering your question, I commemorate all martyrs of the guerrilla revolution with respect and gratitude in the person of Comrade Egîd (Mahsum Korkmaz), the immortal commander who played a major role in bringing the guerrilla strategy to Kurdistan, and I reiterate our promise to them once again. I congratulate 15 August Resurrection Day, created on the basis of their epic resistance, to our Leadership, all our people and our friends.
If we express the subject of what a guerrilla is in simple sentences; we can state that it is a style of resistance and war developed by a people-society whose lands are oppressed, exploited or occupied against the dominant powers with large armies. The one who wears down his enemy on the basis of a hit-and-run tactic with small units against the occupying-dominated forces, gradually organizes himself, instills hope in the society, plays a major role in the organization of the society and gains its self-confidence, and thus becomes a large people’s army on the basis of the organization of the people against the dominant exploiting power and saves the country. guerrilla warfare is the basis of a strategy of struggle. Undoubtedly, we see that it follows a course that passes through various stages in the countries where this struggle strategy is implemented. Initially by initiating resistance with small guerrilla units, then strategic defense,
This style has a long history in the history of peoples. However, as a style of struggle and war against the occupying forces, it was first shaped by the patriotic officers who did not want to surrender against the invasion of Spain by the Napoleonic armies, continuing their resistance against the Napoleonic army with hit-and-run tactics in small groups. The concept of guerrilla is also a Spanish concept. In this way, it was applied later in various countries as a side style in the struggle. However, for the first time, it was transformed into a strategy of revolutionary struggle by the Chinese Revolutionary Leader Mao Zedong on the basis of the results obtained by going through long and laborious stages, various local and general uprisings in the practice of the Chinese Revolution. In other words, guerrilla warfare was first theorized and made the basis of the Long-Term People’s War Strategy in China. This type of war, which was developed in many countries in the same period and in the following times, won victory against the dominant armies and became a basic style of struggle that ensured the liberation of the peoples. Thus, guerrilla and freedom, guerrilla and resistance became inseparable concepts and entered history as a style of struggle and war that established a throne in the hearts of peoples and ensured freedom.
What kind of formation did the guerrilla gain in the reality of Kurdistan with the 15th August Breakthrough?
Each social structure that has been shaped throughout history has also shaped its own unique style of resistance and war. When we look at Middle Eastern societies in general, we see that there is no guerrilla style or a form of resistance close to the guerrilla style. Social psychology in the Middle East has been shaped in a style that emphasizes field warfare, hand-to-hand combat, fortress resistance or positional warfare rather than the guerrilla style based on hit-and-run tactics. For example, in the majority of the resistances in the history of Kurdistan, resistances such as position warfare, narrow and not based on any war strategy and tactics, such as peasant rebellion, are at the forefront. In other words, instead of spreading the war to the process and wearing out the opposing power, they put forth what they had, rather they applied a style that envisions going to the end in the form of ‘all or nothing’. We see that almost all of the resistances that developed in Kurdistan with this style were crushed to a large extent. Especially in Northern Kurdistan, with the last resistances being crushed with violence and massacre, a tendency in the form of intimidation, fright, fear and self-abandonment has developed in the society. The main reasons for the failures of the rebellions or resistances in Kurdistan can be explained by the wrong tactics and strategy along with the problems related to the ideology, program and leadership. In other words, as a dimension along with other dimensions, there was a defeat due to the wrong war style. This led to the development of a tendency to fear and to give up on oneself. The main reasons for the failures of the rebellions or resistances in Kurdistan can be explained by the wrong tactics and strategy along with the problems related to the ideology, program and leadership. In other words, as a dimension along with other dimensions, there was a defeat due to the wrong war style. This led to the development of a tendency to fear and to give up on oneself. The main reasons for the failures of the rebellions or resistances in Kurdistan can be explained by the wrong tactics and strategy along with the problems related to the ideology, program and leadership. In other words, as a dimension along with other dimensions, there was a defeat due to the wrong war style.
After the last massacre and genocide of the Dersim resistance in Northern Kurdistan in 1938, the society was brought to the brink of death with the assimilation plans developed in a very systematic way in Kurdistan with the perspective of the Orient Islahat, that is, the ‘white genocide’ policy. A social reality emerged that became helpless in the face of the policies of assimilation and metamorphosis imposed on the Kurdistan society, every rebellion of which resulted in a great massacre and disappointment, and that could not find any other way than to give up on itself and surrender. He had lost all hope now, and was rendered incapable of seeing a future for himself.
How do you evaluate the emergence of Leader Apo in such a process?
Just in this process, the concentration of Kurdish youth and the emergence of Leader Apo have been experienced in the youth movements that have developed around the world and the Turkish youth movement that has risen with the effect of this. Leader Apo’s exit certainly marked the beginning of a historical turn. Leader Apo says ‘I found the Kurdish society in my arms’. In other words, the people of Kurdistan, despite being the most ancient people of the region, suffered a great injustice, were torn apart, and became the victim of a policy of complete annihilation and genocide. There was a situation where the values of humanity were trampled on in the person of the Kurdish society. It was not possible to be a spectator, to remain silent in the face of it. It was something that every person who said ‘I am a human being’ and considered himself responsible for human values had to oppose.
At this stage, an exit was needed. Leader Apo assumed this historical responsibility, starting from the right circle, namely the ideology. But as we mentioned, the guerrilla style was a foreign style to the region. Yes; There was a trial in Palestine, but it was not fully implemented, it turned into a sacrifice. Turkey’s youth movement turned to practice in the early 1970s; He faced massacre and oppression at the very first step. The peshmergeism that developed in Southern Kurdistan was a slightly improved version of the classical Kurdish war. The fact that he was completely crushed in ’74 deepened the fear, fear and despair in Kurdish society. Especially against the oppressive environment that developed with the Military Junta of September 12, 1980, the resistance that rose in the Amed Dungeon with the spirit of July 14 was also imposing an absolute exit against the inhuman practice that was perpetuated.
THE PRIORITY DIMENSION OF AUGUST 15 IS THE DIMENSION OF ATTENDING HUMANITY
Leader Apo’s efforts at this stage, for which he considers himself responsible, in the name of protecting humanity in this direction are very meaningful, valuable and historical. On the basis of the intensification of these efforts and preparatory work, the breakthrough initiated in Eruh and Şemdinli on August 15, 1984, albeit belatedly, under the leadership of Friend Egîd, was a milestone in the existence of the Kurdish people. The primary dimension of August 15 is the human dimension; is the dimension of protecting humanity. It is the attitude of opposing the genocide against the Kurdish people. The process initiated by the August 15 Initiative for the Kurdish people is a guerrilla resistance process. The guerrilla resistance process is essentially a struggle for existence and self-defense. Otherwise, a war of aggression was not started with August 15; a self-defense and resistance to existence was started. First of all, his weapon size is symbolic. Basically ideological. organizational and national existence dimension is at the forefront. In a sense, it is the breaking of the chains of slavery that have almost come to dominate Kurdish society. Many assessments have been made in this regard. This is what is meant when he says, “The first bullet was fired into Kurdish slavery”. In other words, the process in which the Kurdish society questioned itself and the chains of slavery began to be dismantled started on this basis.
But the community did not immediately participate in the process. In other words, although there was a certain participation in areas such as Botan, where Kurdishness is still alive and not dead, the society actually watched with great curiosity and concern. When he saw with his own eyes that he was not crushed immediately like the previous rebellions, that he was growing gradually, that he managed to exist against all attacks; That’s when the society’s approach to the guerrilla changed; starting to see the guerrilla as a power of liberation and freedom, the resurgence of hope, the revival of the society, its recovery, its struggle to take to the streets, and the beginning of the serhildan processes at the beginning of the 90’s; in this way, he experienced a resurrection process with himself. In fact, the joke of the Resurrection Day is a phenomenon that has been put forward and realized based on this.
The August 15 Leap Forward became a spark in the dark, an enlightenment, a hope, and this turned into a revolutionary perspective that was gradually embodied. Therefore, with August 15, not only did the chains of slavery break, but also an intellectual, political and social revolution. In other words, the society on the verge of death has risen to its feet and has become a social reality that thinks for itself, fights for itself and resists. This is so in terms of results.
What kind of difficulties were encountered in the exit of the guerrilla?
But this did not come easy. In other words, the guerrilla did not become practical in Kurdistan that easily. Especially after the martyrdom of Friend Egîd, the shrinkage and contraction almost brought the guerrilla exit to the brink of liquidation. Against this, a new breakthrough has developed as a result of the decision of the Third Congress of our Party and the development of its intervention. However, especially after the martyrdom of prominent pioneer commanders such as Erdal and Bedran, a period of internal struggle began again in the face of the emergence of tendencies that we call the ‘Gang of Four’, which deviated the line, and the self-imposition of contra practices and causing various destructions. In this period, guerrillaism reached a certain level in Kurdistan with the interventions of Leader Apo, which developed in a fierce struggle. Just as the 15th of August Breakthrough is more of an introverted breakthrough, After the beginning, only progress could be achieved by conducting a more introverted struggle for the correct implementation of the line. In this regard, we can say: If the Leadership line had been fully implemented, the results could have been different. Even after that, we can say the same thing for the serhildan period.
In short, the guerrilla line could not be applied so easily. On the one hand, the Kurdish war style stemming from the social psychology that constantly imposes itself, positional warfare and various understandings originating from the society that does not follow the guerrilla line; On the other hand, the guerrilla line could only be implemented to a certain extent by combating the intense attempts of liquidationist-gangster attempts to sabotage, impose itself, and pull the movement to different axes, and these results were revealed.
GUERILLA DEVELOPED AS A STRUGGLE TO ENSURE FREEDOM IN KURDISTAN
With the 15 August Initiative, the guerrilla line became a developing resistance line in Kurdistan for the first time. Guerrilla warfare in Kurdistan is actually the first guerrilla warfare being waged not only in Kurdistan but also in the Middle East. In short, the implementation of the guerrilla to a certain extent in Kurdistan, despite its inadequacies, nullified and essentially defeated the colonial-genocidal policies on Kurdistan. In other words, the Kurdish society has learned how to resist and defend itself. Developing belief in this matter also strengthened nationalization; succeeded in making the national spirit stronger. Essentially, the Kurdish people brought it to the table in order to solve the reality or the Kurdish problem. That’s why Leader Apo declared a ceasefire on the ’93 Newroz. This was an important step. And since then, the guerrilla struggle, which has been going on for the past 29 years, although there have been ceasefires from time to time, is actually being continued because the Turkish state has not given up on its policy of genocide. The guerrilla developed as a self-defense war in Kurdistan, as a struggle to impose the Kurdish society and ensure freedom. The guerrilla war lasted this long when the other side did not accept it by using various special war tactics. Otherwise, guerrilla warfare actually achieved success in its early stages. Then the International Conspiracy took place. In other words, the 15-year history of guerrilla struggle has nullified the policy of destruction and destruction of colonialism. In this sense, the guerrilla strategy has been successful.
The process that started with HRK continues to exist as ARGK and today as HPG. Why and how did these changes occur?
The Kurdistan Liberation Forces (HRK) is the first military organization established in the name of Kurdistan. It has already declared its establishment on August 15. The seeds of guerrillaism in Kurdistan were planted with the HRK. But it does not mean to be a complete people’s army. We know that there were problems in maintaining the spirit of 15 August Breakthrough in ’85, right after the 15 August Breakthrough. In the Third Congress, it was also determined that, together with the intense and determined stance of Friend Egîd to establish the guerrilla line, it was determined that there was a weakness of trust in tactics, that there was a hesitant stance, and that this had an effect on the process, and intense criticisms and judgments developed in this direction. That’s when, in the person of Egîd friend, to keep the memory of all the dungeon and mountain resistances that efforts were made until that day alive, Intense discussions and resolutions developed to overcome all the hesitations in the revolutionary march and to establish the guerrilla line and the tactics of struggle. Parallel to this level of resolution, the decision to establish the Kurdistan People’s Liberation Army (ARGK) was taken.
In other words, the ARGK was established as a result of the developments in that process, the discussions in the Congress and the decisions taken in a completely harmonious manner. We know that the struggle carried out under the name ARGK revealed a certain level until ’99. However, there is a situation where the other side imposes the International Conspiracy as a result of the inadequacies experienced, especially after ’94, when it has to experience the process of repeating itself and to reach a conclusion quickly, as a result of the inadequacies experienced in this regard and the failure to fully implement the Leadership line. This resistance should have been able to overcome the International Conspiracy, but unfortunately, because the required pace of the revolutionary flow could not be caught, it became the ground of the International Conspiracy. With the International Conspiracy that took place on this basis, the Leader’s captivity took place.
In fact, since the Fifth PKK Congress, the leadership reflected their concentration at different levels to the structure and the public. In other words, the collapse of real socialism and its consequences, the failure of the unscientific dogmatic paradigm of real socialism and the concentration developed by the Leader on the axis of the necessity of overcoming it were the realities that were reflected to the public in ’98, especially during the Roman process. On this basis, the Leadership put a paradigm shift on the agenda with the Conspiracy. This also meant a very important revolutionary breakthrough in terms of nullifying the International Conspiracy. Essentially, with the formation of a new paradigm, the Democratic Ecological Society Paradigm Based on Women’s Freedom, a change in the military structure emerged as a necessity. Therefore, the change of all organizational structures in the revolutionary struggle in accordance with the paradigm came to the fore. On this basis, with the decision taken at the Seventh Congress of the PKK, HPG was established instead of ARGK.
In particular, the HPG came into being within the framework of Leader Apo’s re-evaluation of the role of force in the revolution on the basis of the new paradigm, and the reshaping of the military structure as a defense force on the basis of the perspective that not only the guerrilla but also the society as a second and fundamental pillar should take on a greater role in the reality of people’s war. In other words, there is a change in the perspective of struggle. The revolutionary force is now the guerrilla and the people; HPG format was formed on the basis of the organization of the two as self-defense forces in the form of a union ring and the development of a style of struggle that would also be open to democratic solution and dialogue method. It is a people’s defense structure based on rebuilding itself in order to play a role in the most effective way in the struggle as a legitimate defense force that foresees a democratic solution.
