Serdar Yektas, spokesman for the terrorist organization PKK, gave an interview to Al-Monitor about the ongoing conflict with Turkiye. First, he answered questions about the tunnels.
They decided to further expand the caves they were living in after the Hammer and Dawn operations in 1997. In other words, the organization's tunnel strategy started 27 years ago.
Following the operations of the Turkish Armed Forces, they made continuous improvements on the tunnels.
They have made the tunnels operable without any problems over time, such as ventilation, heating, meeting water needs, etc. The organization's spokesperson Yektas also states that there is internet in the tunnel he is currently in and that there is an electric heater next to him.
He says that the tunnels are kilometers long and that they have built apartment life style inside the tunnels. He states that they have everything, such as toilets, bathrooms, kitchens, meeting rooms, etc.
He says that the tunnels protect against air operations carried out by the Turkish Armed Forces and that even if Turkiye detects their location, there is nothing it can do. He even says that sometimes they do not sense the air operations carried out and that they learn from terrorists in other areas.
He says they use kamikaze UAVs to target TSK bases and loitering munitions to shoot down Turkish UAVs. When asked whether they received support from Iran on how these were produced, he says, "We do not share such information."
As for Turkiye's territory, he still says that the main human resources come from Turkiye, without giving a percentage. Approximately %80~ of the PKK cadres come from Turkiye.
The question is asked whether their activities in Turkiye have decreased and the war has started in Turkiye.
He says that since they do not have tunnels in Turkiye and cannot create tunnels - and they do not have area control - they have decided to reduce their forces in Turkiye and not to send new reinforcements.
So he screwed up in this statement. Among those killed previously Sırnak not long ago there was a terrorist who had just come to Turkiye. In recent days, 4 of them died while trying to infiltrate with a paramotor. In recent years, there were terrorists who entered from Iran and were stopped while advancing trough the east of Turkiye.
Since the main war and aim of the PKK is in Turkiye, they can never take the military decision to withdraw from Turkiye. Imagine that: Your main power is from Turkiye, your cause is centered in Turkiye, your leadership cadre was born in Turkiye, your biggest supporters are in Turkiye. You do not have an option like "I will reduce my forces here".
He also admitted that the main center of the Turkiye-PKK conflict had moved from Turkiye to Iraq. This was one of Turkiye's main goals with the Claw operations.
The PKK spokesman's interview ends like this:
"Our aim by opening these tunnels is not to destroy or divide the Turkish state. We are one society. These lands are ours. Whether it is in the Kurdish lands in Turkiye or elsewhere, our only wish is to live freely. This is what our struggle is for."
Serdar Yektas, spokesperson for the Kurdistan Workers Party's armed wing, told Al-Monitor that Turkey’s use of its home-manufactured drones has drastically changed the nature of the conflict between them.
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