The Pres Office of People’s Defense Forces released a statement providing information about the latest actions by the guerrillas and attacks by the Turkish army in the Kurdistan territory.
The statement listed the details of the latest Turkish attacks and guerrilla actions as follows:
Gever region;
Between 13-20 May, 7 photo traps placed by the occupying Turkish army in Xapûrtê, Yekmalê, Mûşanê and Memkawa areas in Gever (Yüksekova) region in Hakkari countryside were destroyed.
Metîna region;
On 22 May at 13:20, the occupiers in Şêlazê Resistance Area were struck by guerrilla snipers. One soldier was killed and one other wounded.
On 22 May at 16:20, the invaders in Şêlazê Resistance Area were struck by guerrillas with medium automatic weapons.
Şehîd Delîl Western Zap region;
On 22 May at 13:00, the invaders who attempted to advance in Girê Cûdî Resistance Area were struck by guerrillas with medium automatic weapons and the invaders’ movement was stopped.
On 23 May at 10:30, the invaders who attempted to advance in Girê Amediyê Resistance Area were struck by guerrillas with heavy weapons and the invaders’ mobility was stopped.
On 23 May at 12:30, the invaders in Girê Amediyê Resistance Area were struck by guerrillas with heavy weapons. This action was carried out by YJA Star (Free Women’s Troops) guerrillas.
On 23 May at 17:05, the surveillance camera system belonging to the invaders in Girê FM Resistance Area was destroyed by the guerrillas.
On 24 May at 02:50, the invaders in Girê FM Resistance Area were struck by guerrillas with heavy weapons and 1 position was damaged.
Attacks carried out by the Turkish army with banned explosives;
On 23 May, the guerrillas’ tunnels in the Girê FM Resistance Area in the Şehîd Delîl Western Zap region were bombed 17 times with toxic chemical gases and 5 times with banned explosives.
On 23 May, the guerrillas’ tunnels in Girê Cûdî Resistance Area in the Şehîd Delîl Western Zap region were bombed 14 times by drones loaded with explosives.
Attacks carried out by the Turkish army;
On 23, 24 and 25 May, Turkish warplanes carried out 13 attacks on guerrillas, targeting the areas of Goşînê, Kolît, Lolan, Sinînê in Xakurkê region 5 times, Gûzê area in Garê region 2 times, the areas of Şêlazê, Dergelê, Bêşîlî in Metîna region 3 times, the areas of Girê Amediyê and Girê Bahar in Şehîd Delîl Western Zap region 3 times.
In other news the guerrillas Jiyanda Laşer and Berfîn Zîlan drowned in April while attempting to cross the Zap in southern Kurdistan. The press center of the People’s Defense Forces (HPG) said in a statement that they were victims of an “unfortunate accident” and added that the Kurdish Jiyanda from Bakur and the Arab Berfin from Rojava were valuable militants in the women’s liberation struggle. The HPG expressed its condolences to the relatives and the population of Kurdistan.
The statement provided the following information about the identity of the guerrillas from the Free Women’s Units (YJA Star):
Code name: Jiyanda Laşer
First and last name: Fatma Kaynak
Place of birth: Colemêrg
Names of mother and father: Remziye – Abdulhalik
Date and place of death: April 7, 2024 / Zap
Code name: Berfîn Zîlan
First and last name: Rîma Abdullah
Place of birth: Afrin
Names of mother and father: Hamide – Muhammed
Date and place of death: April 7, 2024 / Zap
Jiyanda Laşer
Jiyanda Laşer was born in the northern Kurdish province of Hallari (Colemêrg) and grew up in an environment close to the PKK. She was still a child when she saw the guerrillas for the first time. The encounter left a lasting impression and Jiyanda resolved to one day become a freedom fighter in the mountains herself. As an adolescent, she remained true to her childhood dreams and became involved in the revolutionary youth movement. When ISIS invaded Kurdistan in 2014, she wanted to take part in the defense of Kobanê and Shengal. Due to her important position in the youth movement, she had to put this wish on hold. Then Laşer (Köksal Çabuk), one of the first guerrillas she met personally, died in Cîlo. Jiyanda then went to the Zagros Mountains in 2015 and joined the guerrillas.
From the Cîlo area, Jiyanda came to the Avaşîn region for basic training. Because she grew up on the foothills of the Zagros, adjusting to life in the mountains did not cause her any difficulties. She already had organizational experience through her work in the youth movement, and during her training she expanded her ideological knowledge and acquired military knowledge. After her basic training, Jiyanda stayed in Avaşîn until 2021. During this time, she got to know herself better and became aware of the strength of women.
She discussed the philosophy of Abdullah Öcalan and once said that justice can only be achieved for the fallen through continuous fighting. In the wake of the increasing attacks by the Turkish army, she took part in guerrilla operations against the invading troops at her own persistent request. She fought with great courage and sacrifice and contributed to many successful actions. She was wounded in 2018, but after her recovery she continued her fight resolutely. In her almost seven years in Avaşîn, she got to know the entire region and matured into a strong YJA Star fighter.
In order to further her ideological education, Jiyanda came to a guerrilla academy, where she examined her previous practice and her own personality. She then fought in Metina and the Zap region. When she tried to cross the Zap in unfavorable weather conditions in April, she was swept away by the floods and could no longer be rescued. “Hevala Jiyanda will be remembered and shown the way in our struggle with her sacrifice, her sensitivity for women, her deep companionship and her smile,” the HPG declare.
Berfin Zilan
Berfîn Zîlan was born in Afrin to Arab parents and grew up in a predominantly Kurdish neighborhood. At that time, many different population groups and religious communities lived together peacefully in Afrin. As a teenager, Berfîn became aware that the state was deliberately promoting division among the population. This approach was foreign to her, and she maintained her belief in the brotherhood of peoples.
She learned about the PKK and the fight for freedom in Kurdistan from her Kurdish neighbours. With the Rojava revolution, her interest in the liberation movement and Abdullah Öcalan’s ideas of a social order based on grassroots democracy, women’s liberation and ecology grew. She saw with her own eyes that this was not just a theory, but that this idea was actually being put into practice.
As a member of a “democratic nation,” she wanted to contribute to the success and defend the revolution against attacks. In 2017 she joined an armed unit and received ideological and military training. Many things became clear to her, especially the ideology of women’s liberation, which had a formative influence on her further development. She took part in the resistance against attacks by jihadist groups and fought courageously and decisively against Islamists. During a skirmish she suffered a serious abdominal injury, but this did not stop her from fighting. When the Turkish state realized that it could not beat back the Rojava revolution solely with jihadist mercenary bands and invaded Afrin in early 2018, Berfîn took part in the legendary resistance and was wounded again.
After the occupation of Afrin, Berfîn was active in various areas of Rojava. She went to the “Şehîd Ezîz Ereb” academy for training and, together with other Arab comrades, learned more about the philosophy of Abdullah Öcalan. From there she went into the mountains to join the guerrillas, which had always fascinated her. She was fascinated by guerrilla life in nature and took part in it with great enthusiasm. She complemented her military experience from Rojava with a course in which she trained in special guerrilla tactics. After specialized training in heavy weapons, she was placed in a semi-mobile unit and fought against the Turkish invading forces. With every successful action she took revenge for the occupation of Afrin. In 2022 she went to the Zap region and fought in both mobile units and tunnel warfare. The HPG describe Berfîn as a fearless and self-sacrificing fighter from the YJA Star who infected her fellow fighters with her courage and commitment and lives on in the fight.