PKK claims to down 15 Turkish drones in Nowruz announcement

Amberin Zaman

Mar 20, 2024

A Kurdish man wearing a mask flashes the "V" sign. — A Kurdish man wearing a mask flashes the "V" sign as he holds up a flag with a picture of jailed PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan during Nowruz celebrations, on March 21, 2015, in Diyarbakir, Turkey. — Ulas Tosun/Getty Images

The Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), the outlawed armed group that is waging an armed campaign against the Turkish state, announced on Wednesday that since February 2023 it has downed 15 armed drones belonging to the Turkish military.

"Today, with proven tactical expansion and technical means, our potential to fight with high performance and our determination to secure victory has become much stronger,” the group claimed in a statement shared with Kurdish media.

The PKK shared footage of what it said were Turkish drones that were shot down, providing dates and locations to back up its claim. They include the fabled TB2, which has turned the tide of battle in favor of Turkey’s allies in places like Ukraine, Libya and Azerbaijan and are manufactured by a company that is co-owned by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s youngest son-in-law, Selcuk Bayraktar.

Murat Karayilan, commander of the PKK’s armed forces, said last week that the militants would be sharing “auspicious news” to mark March 21, the Kurdish New Year, or Nowruz, which is celebrated by millions of Kurds worldwide as much to observe the advent of spring as to showcase their defiance against oppression and tyranny.