Helîn Asmîn

 

ŞEHBA - The women who lost their relatives in the Kobani resistance said, ‘’The aim of their struggle in Kobani was the freedom of Kurdistan.’’ The women said that they will also liberate Afrin like Kobani.

 

After ISIS attacked Kobani in 2014, the city was liberated as a result of the people’s resistance leading by the People’s Defense Units (YPG) and Women’s Protection Units (YPJ). An important example of unity between Kurds and international internationalist solidarity was showed in Kobani. As a result, November 1 World Kobanê Day was declared with the call of many world-famous names.

 

On the occasion of World Kobani Day, mothers who lost their children in the Kobani resistance spoke to JINNEWS.

 

Feyza Xelil, telling her daughter Özgür who lost her life in the Kobani resistance, said, ‘’She was born in Aleppo in 1981. Özgür was my oldest child. She joined the freedom ranks in Aleppo on November 1, 1996. She was a very loved child. She was on a quest from her childhood and was trying to help her friends. She had a different spirit. She was living the spirit of freedom in her childhood. The Leadership came to Aleppo when she was eight-year-old. I went to Leader Apo together with Özgür. Özgür said to the Leadership, ‘’I will join the revolution,’’ even then. She stayed there that day and returned home the next day. At that time, she said to me, ‘Mom, Leader Apo told me to go now and join the revolution when you grow up’. After that, she participated in cultural and art works. She kept doing that until she went to 9th grade’’.

 

‘Our children’s struggle in Kobani was for the freedom of Kurdistan’

 

Saying that her daughter Özgür later decided to join the freedom movement, Feyza continued, ‘’Özgür decided in 1996 and joined the Kurdistan Freedom Struggle on her birthday. She saw her participation as a new life for herself, and that is how she approached it. That is why on her birthday, her direction was in the ranks of freedom. We were proud of our daughter. We did not hear from her until 2011 after she joined. She then sent us a letter and a photograph. In her letter, she asked about our situation. Later, we received the news that she participated in the Kobani revolution. I am very happy for my daughter. I sent word to her. I just wanted to see her for five minutes. However, I promised that I would not see her until Kurdistan was liberated, and I kept my promise, I did not go. As we know, freedom fighters won when the Turkish state attacked Kobani. Özgür was martyred on November 29. I am proud of her martyrdom. Because she kept her word. Her aim was the freedom of Kurdistan. The aim of our children’s struggle in Kobani was the freedom of Kurdistan’’.

 

‘Time to defend my people’

 

Nesrin Cimo, who lost her spouse Şahin Nemir in the Kobani resistance, also said, ‘’My spouse is from Afrin. In 2014, he went to Kobani willingly and joined the resistance. When he joined, he said, ‘I can live without my children, but I cannot live without land, I cannot stop when there is an attack on the Kurdish people and Kurdistan, so I have to take part in it’. After he joined, he was martyred on June 1, 2015. When we spoke to him, he said, ‘I am very happy to defend my country, when there is an attack against our country, we must unite and defend our country. Now I defend my people in battle positions. Because today is the time to defend my people in every aspect’’.

 

‘We will also liberate Afrin’

 

Nesrin sontinued, ‘’Şahin always said, ‘Someone who knows the ideas and philosophy of PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan, certainly knows his/her own land and not leave it’. Me and my children are proud of him. At Şahin’s request, we made a zılgıt for him. Me and my children are in the footsteps of martyr Şahin and his friends. When Kobani was liberated, I gained great strength. Because his wish came true. As a result, we say that we will also liberate Afrin, just as we liberated Kobani’’.