We lost 6 martyrs as a result of the attack on the Turkish Armed Forces base located on Zap/Matin Mountain in the Claw Lock operation region. We will try to evaluate both Mount Matin and the attack under this post.
View attachment 64204
Mount Matin is at an altitude of 1750. It is 17 km away from the Turkish border. It is located just above a civilian area. Soldiers were deployed to the area last year and left the area due to winter conditions. This summer they were deployed again and this time, there was no withdrawal when winter came.
PKK has a kilometers-long tunnel at the top of Matin Mountain. The organization also has a tunnel just under Mount Matin. Another very serious problem is a tunnel connected to the village of Sergele. There are many PKK supporters in the village and PKK is using the village as a logistic center from which they are reinforcing their tunnel network.
View attachment 64207
Trough this tunnel they are ensuring the flow of essential products for survival, weapons, ammunition, man power to the Matin tunnel network and other points in the Claw-Lock area of operations. By looking at satellite pictures we can see that the tunnel network is being enlarged and works are continuing.
Turkish Armed Forces are deployed at many points along the Matin Mountain line. There are also 2 tunnel entrances in this deployment. In a way, it is like a front-line war, there are meters between the members of the organization and the Turkish Armed Forces personnel. And this situation has been going on for months.
Additionally, there are Peshmerga forces loyal to Barzani on the hill. This Peshmerga base and a Turkish Armed Forces base are almost adjacent to each other. Even though they do not provide very solid support (nor do they have the capabilities), they are against the PKK and stand by Turkiye. They are positioned 1.5 km from the tunnel and even fought the PKK last year. They are also giving logistic support to the Turkish base at Matin.
Let's come to the PKK tunnel. Now you saw 2 entries in the video. You may be asking the question of how terrorists in a place with clear entrances and exits cannot be neutralized despite today's technology and facilities. Now I will try to answer these questions.
In the photo, the tunnel has 2 entrances where rubble is emptied. If we emerge from these rubbles, the bottom of the area, highlighted in red is the estimated tunnel line. So they have a base under that mountain. This tunnel base is also kilometers long.
View attachment 64205
The entrances and some parts of these tunnels are not tall enough for a person to walk standing. It has a labyrinth structure inside. And this tunnel has multiple floors.
So you somehow entered the tunnel, moved forward, and after a certain point, you went downstairs. The same reinforced positions are on this floor this time. This time, on this floor there is the area where they live, guard posts, etc. You will pass here too, but this time there is another floor below.
In other words, you will move forward in this narrow and low area, one after the other, bypassing IEDs and traps. You will overcome the ambushes set by the PKK in the tunnel, you will clear the floors one by one, etc. There is no possibility of this happening. No one in the world can clean that tunnel by entering like this.
So, you may ask, how have nearly 20 tunnels in Iraq been cleared so far? Explosives were lined up at the tunnel entrances, the explosive was detonated, and the people inside were neutralized by the pressure created by the detonated explosive, or they could no longer stand it and ran away.
Now we have reached the PKK's biggest tunnels and the PKK has learned lessons after its losses. Now they have made the tunnels bigger. They created positions and pressure rooms against the Turkish Armed Forces explosives.
So, as you can see, a group of terrorists are inside the tunnel that cannot be destroyed. Turkish Armed Forces are also stationed around the tunnel. There is a situation that has never been seen before in the world.
Now let's come to the attack that martyred our 6 soldiers yesterday.
This year, the organization did not have a successful infiltration in Mount Matin until the weather turned bad. When the Turkish Armed Forces' visibility opportunities were restricted, terrorists began to take action.
As can be seen in the video, the weather is foggy and rainy. Also, a lot of snow had fallen on the hill. Normally the organization does not come in such bad weather. But now they are coming, they have started to take big risks themselves. Because they have no other choice.
In this weather and at that altitude, it is difficult to see where the terrorist will come from or even see the situation of another position from your position. If terrorists plan to come under these conditions, it is not possible to prevent terrorists from coming if the area and the base are not fully secured.
Terrorists climbed the summit from the civilian area where the villages are located. We can assume that the terrorists inside the tunnel also came out of the tunnel and supported the attack. They are clearly the advantaged side.
View attachment 64206
The bad conditions affecting the soldiers in the region also apply to them. This attack is no different from a suicide attack. As a result, they left at least 12 terrorists on that hill and left. There may be more neutralized, it will be clear after checking when the weather and conditions improve.
Another issue is that the organization does not share its losses in Mount Matin. The terrorist who participated in the previous attack said that many terrorists died in Matin. But until that statement, the PKK had not announced any casualties from Matin.
The situation continues like this right now. We'll see how far this will go. The only thing I can say is that the Turkish Armed Forces must change their methods against these tunnels. It would be ridiculous for us to comment on other issues without being there.
But this has to be said. Both sides are fighting with great will. PKK is a really stupid organization, an organization that cannot improve itself. But they have a strong will. This will should definitely not be underestimated.
Finally, you can be sure that most of the ideas mentioned in your comments such as "why not try this, should they try that" have been tried and did not work. Your other ideas (chemical weapons) do not suit us. Stay well.
Thought you will be interested
@Afif