People's Defence Forces
| People's Defence Forces Hêzên Parastina Gel (HPG) | |
|---|---|
Flag of the HPG | |
| Leader | |
| Foundation | January 2000 |
| Dates of operation | 2000–2025 |
| Allegiance | Kurdistan Workers' Party |
| Motives | Cultural and political rights for the Kurdish population in Turkey. |
| Active regions | Turkey Iraq Syria |
| Ideology | Democratic confederalism Communalism |
| Notable attacks | 2011 Hakkâri attack |
| Status | Rojava–Islamist conflict Kurdistan Region–PKK conflict Ongoing war with Turkey, after ceasefire ended |
| Size | Over 40,000 active fighters (2015 Turkish claim) |
| Opponents | State opponents Turkey Non-State opponents Islamic State |
| Designated as a terrorist group by | Australia United Kingdom |
The People's Defence Forces (Kurdish: Hêzên Parastina Gel, HPG) was the military wing of the group Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). During the 7th Congress of the PKK in January 2000, the HPG replaced the former military wing of the PKK, the People's Liberation Army of Kurdistan (Artêşa Rizgariya Gelê Kurdistan, ARGK). The replacement was intended to demonstrate the search for a peaceful solution of the Kurdish-Turkish conflict, after the capture of Abdullah Öcalan in 1999. The HPG played an active role in the peace negotiations between the Turkish Government and the PKK in 2013, as it hosted a delegation consisting of several politicians from the Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) and members of the Turkish Human Rights Association (IHD) and agreed to release soldiers of the Turkish army as well as a Turkish politician, who they held captive. In 2014, the HPG was involved in the fight against the Islamic State (ISIS) in Sinjar.
As far as can be judged from the publications, one of the basic HPG factions is called "Karela Forces" or "Al-Karila Forces" (Arabic: قوات الكاريلا, romanized: Quwwat al-Karila) meaning "guerrilla" and this name is mainly mentioned in Arabic texts regarding HPG actions. In Arabic texts, and later among its members and supporters, Karila or Gerîla has become an alternative name for People's Defence Forces in general.
On 12 May 2025, the Kurdistan Workers' Party announced it would disband as part of a peace initiative with Turkey.