The Press Office of People's Defense Forces (Hêzên Parastina Gel, HPG) announced the martyrdom of guerrilla commander Zelal Sîdem. According to a statement, Zelal Sîdem died on 23 July during clashes with the Turkish army in the course of the offensive "Cenga Heftanîn" in the guerrilla-held area of Şeşdara in Southern Kurdistan. HPG expresses their condolences to the relatives of the fighter and the Kurdish people.

The statement on the death of Zelal Sîdem said: "The invasion of the Turkish occupying state in the region of Heftanin met with the determined resistance of the Kurdistan freedom guerrilla from the first day on. The actions of the selfless Apoists in the course of the revolutionary war in Heftanin shook the technologically superior fascist state, which had come with loud victory bawling. The guerrilla of Kurdistan, which added a bitter defeat to the invading army, wrote new epics every day and became the symbol of the iron will of the Apoist attitude. One of these heroines who resisted the invasion on the front line and wrote her name in history is our friend and commander Zelal. Since the beginning of the Heftanin offensive, she participated in the resistance against the enemy in all areas of the region. Her last stop was at Şeşdara where she fought to the last bullet and joined the caravan of martyrs."

Zelal is a torch whose light illuminates our path

The HPG statement said: “Zelal Sîdem was born in 1992 in the Kurdish province of Amed (Diyarbakir) as the daughter of a patriotic family. As a reaction to the assimilation and denial policy of the Turkish state towards the Kurds, Zelal Sîdem joined the Kurdish freedom movement at the age of only 16. She spent many years on the resistance front in the Zagros Mountains and participated in numerous actions under the command of the legendary guerrilla commanders Reşit and Rojîn.”

HPG described Zelal Sîdem as a selfless commander who always fulfilled a pioneering mission in "deep commitment and full devotion" towards the martyrs and their values, adding; "In Heftanin she reflected the unshakable will of the Zagros Mountains and led the great resistance. Zelal dealt the occupiers heavy blows. To us, she is a torch whose light illuminates the way. We promise to crown her resistance with victory."