15 August 1984 is an important date for the Turkish-Kurdish conflict as it marks the first PKK (Kurdistan Workers’ Party) attack, led by Mahsum Korkmaz, known as Egîd, the Brave.
In the PKK’s second party congress, which was held from 20 to 25 August 1982 in Daraa (Syria), it was decided that the PKK would start preparing for an insurgency inside Turkey. Training camps were opened in Syria and in Lebanon’s Beqaa Valley and propaganda teams were sent across the border to make contact with the local population.
After years of preparation, the PKK launched its first major attack on 15 August 1984. The attack was led by Mahsum Korkmaz. PKK forces attacked the gendarmerie station in Eruh in Siirt, killing one gendarmerie soldier and injuring six soldiers. Simultaneously, PKK forces attacked a gendarmerie open air facility, officer housing and a gendarmerie station in Şemdinli, Hakkari and killed two police officers and injured one police officer and a soldier.
Guerrillas organized an event celebrating the 41st anniversary of the August 15 Offensive in the guerrilla-held Medya Defense Zones in southern Kurdistan (northern Iraq).
The event began with a moment of silence in memory of all those who fell in the freedom struggle.
Following a speech saluting the August 15 offensive, the guerrillas greeted one another and danced, chanting the slogans “Bê Serok jiyan na be” [No life without the leader] and “Jin, Jiyan, Azadî” [Woman, Life, Freedom].
Source: ANF News
