This is his first hand account of his tour:

"Because of the cult of secrecy and security that surrounds them, it is impossible to just enter a PKK camp.

"Our driver -- chosen by the PKK -- abandoned us on a forest path where we were picked up by two fighters who escorted us to the camp on foot. That was nearly two hours walking time.

"We made one quick stop en route, to pick up stores of food from a logistics camp. The rebel soldiers transport their stocks by horseback or on donkeys to the different camps.

"There is no one base, but dozens of mini-camps spread over dozens of hectares (acres), well hidden either under trees or military camouflage.

"According to the PKK command, there are around 700 soldiers stationed at this base, which moves once a month to avoid being located by Turkish forces.

"We are here in the kingdom of the HPG, or Peoples Defence Force, the armed wing of the PKK, which has fought for more than 20 years for an independent Kurdistan.

"The fighters, who call themselves 'guerrillas', come from Turkey and Iraq, but also from the neighbouring countries of Syria and Iran. The common language is Kurdish but you can hear many different languages.

"Abdullah Ocalan, the Kurdish leader imprisoned for life in an island-prison off Istanbul, is considered a god by the fighters. His picture is everywhere and fighter 'martyrs' who go off as suicide bombers use his name.

"'Our leader Abdullah Ocalan is everything to us. If the Turks do anything to him in that prison ... every Kurdish fighter will become a suicide bomber," said Dogan, who joined the PKK 17 years ago.

"There is also a strong female presence in the camp.

"Almost half of the fighters are women, according to the command.

"The women know when they come here that they are giving up everything. No lovers, no family.

"If you have a goal in your head, and mine is liberty for my people, then ... well ... you don't worry about boyfriends, you don't think about anything but liberty," confided Asia, a young woman who took up arms five years ago.

"There are political education classes every day -- at 7:00 am sharp. The fighters gather in a cave to discuss the latest developments in the Kurdish cause, on international news or listen to the latest letter from Ocalan.

"Then comes military training. Lots of physical exercise, but also weapons training. Not only with the Kalashnikov assault rifles from which they are never separated, but also heavy artillery used to try to hit planes, helicopters and tanks. But many are old weapons, which need continuous maintenance and which struggle against the superior firepower of the Turks.

"The hundreds of fighters depend a lot on their determination. As we left the camp, the guerillas kept telling us: 'We are afraid of noone. And we are willing to give our lives for the cause.'"