HPG guerrilla Zagros Botan tells the story of how he escaped from military service.

Martyr Resit Serdar, one of the guerrilla commanders, told Kurdish youth years ago: "Kurdish youth should think seriously. Until when they will serve a state that kills, ignores and slaughters them every day. Let them come and walk with us. Let them take off those boots on their feet. We are Kurdish and we are doing our own military service." 

Hearing Commander Resit Serdar talking on television, Zagros, from the Turkish province of Sakarya decided to leave the army.

Zagros, who grew up in a patriotic family in Botan, said that even if he was not a patriotic person, he saw the insults against Kurdish youth in military service and it was seeing this humiliation what triggered something inside him. "I said to myself, let your curiosity growing about your history, people, land, or all the things they want you to ignore. With a friend of mine, Rubar, we went to Şırnak and reached the guerrillas through other friends there. Rubar was from Mardin. We were together in the Besta area. In 2014, when ISIS attacked Kobanê, Rubar went to Kobanê and fell martyr fighting there. Rubar's life was always on the run. Wherever there was persecution, torture and injustice against our people, he ran there. Kobanê was the last stop."

Guerrilla Zagros continued: "When we arrived in the guerrilla they welcomed us with great joy. They were shocked. They were both confused and happy. Friends were preparing for action at Bayrak Tepesi in those days. I also expressed my desire to participate in the action. After a couple of quarrels, the friends agreed and I participated in the action. Nearly 30 Turkish soldiers were killed in the Bayrak Tepesi action and not one guerrilla fell martyr."

Guerrilla Zagros added: "It was the first action I took part in. For me, it was an act of revenge on behalf of all Kurdish youth who were killed by the Turkish military service. When we finally realized that we saw that we were on the side of those who killed our people, but now I am on the side that serves my people.

Not only Kurdish youth, any young people who are not enemies of the people should realize that."