SUICIDE BOMBER, SYRIA, AND HPG

"The goal of modern propaganda is no longer to transform opinion but to arouse an active and mythical belief."
~ Jacques Ellul.

Turkish Press Shields the Military's Deadlock with Lies


1. Recently in Turkish media there was news of the organization's internal conflicts and disagreements. Could you please give an explanation of this issue?


Our leadership is not allowed to meet with his family and his lawyers for three weeks, military operations are becoming prevalent everywhere. In this kind of situation, news sourced from the Turkish military (such as a suicide bomber) in the Medya Defence Zones is very attractive news. While the meetings of our leadership are blocked, operations are ongoing, people are treated in extremely undemocratic ways--these kinds of agendas and lies aim to worry and demoralize our people. The Turkish press is like the military's press; it wants to create an atmosphere that implies PKK has been finished, by news such as escapes from the organization, or that the military is capturing many guerrillas, etc. However, the situation is not the way that it shows. Our guerrillas, who are currently in an active legitimate defensive position, have sufficient experience to frustrate the military's operations. In order to contribute to the democratic solution, the organization did not have any operations within the election period; thus it showed its willing attitude toward the solution.

Although there have been various positive steps taken and progress made, the military is implementing a psychological war. News like "they fight with each other; they shoot at each other," or "there are escapes everyday; there are various numbers of captures," aims to distort reality, to worry and demoralize people, and to cause tension among them. Earlier, the Turkish general staff had mentioned that very intensive psychological warfare methods must be enhanced, and that they were engaging in this kind of warfare. This recent fake news shows their goals and intentions. Attacks against our administration fall within this framework. Our people must not give credit to these kinds of lies.


2. As a second question . . . Recently there has been an arabization policy implemented in Southwest Kurdistan (Northern Syria) near the border. Would you mind commenting on this?


Recently, in Southwest Kurdistan, there is an arabization policy toward our people in that region, through which Syria plans to arabize the Derik and Dirbesiye regions near the border. Within this plan, Syria wants to change the demographic structure and pacify our people living there. We think that this plan, and its implementation, is the work of certain people in the regime. These factions are the ones who deepen the denial and anihilation of the Kurds. These kinds of plans, in addition to destabilizing Syria, will also lead to infighting between the peoples.

Naturally, our people in Southwest Kurdistan will not accept this policy. The Turkish army has massed its troops since spring and has attempted to create a no-man's land along the Iraq border. It is remarkable that Syria brings up this arabization policy simultaneously. Syria must not take as its example, the approach of the Turkish government toward its own Kurdish question.


HPG Headquarters Commander

Dr. Bahoz Erdal