HPG guerrilla Kemal Piling spoke about HPG Command Council Member Yılmaz Dersim, who fell a martyr in Dersim on 10 November and said: "Heval Yılmaz Dersim was living with the Leader [Abdullah Öcalan]."

HPG Command Council Member and Dersim Field Commander Yılmaz Dersim (İsmail Sürgeç) fell a martyr during a military operation launched by the Turkish army in the Ahpanos Valley, Dersim and Aliboğazı region, Hozat province on 10 November.

HPG guerrilla Kemal Piling talked about HPG commander Yılmaz Dersim and his memories with him. Guerilla Piling said that he knew Yılmaz Dersim when he first joined the guerrilla and added: "We joined with a group of my friends from Istanbul. He trained us for a period of time in Dersim. At that time, his approach towards us caught my attention. Then we moved on to the Western Front. He was in the command of the Western Front in 2012. I was happy when I saw him because he was the first guerilla I had met.

During his stay with us, his life, stance and conversation with us attracted everyone's attention. He was discussing with us, chatting, talking about his memories every now and then. He was talking about the ARGK process. The first point that caught our attention in that period was that he was interested in the structure.  He did make a distinction between commanders and fighters. We were going to carry out an action in the Munzur valley. His approach was always very educational. Such a command and combatant relationship is not easy to observe in any organization or military system. Heval Yılmaz Dersim was following the path indicated by our Leader. The Leader’s ideas were always with him".

He always backed his comrades

Drawing attention to Yılmaz Dersim's loyalty to Kurdish people's leader Abdullah Öcalan, guerrilla Piling said: "When you look at Martyr Yılmaz, you can really feel the Leadership. He made you feel that. He was thinking how to respond more, how to hit the enemy more, how to contribute to the freedom of Öcalan, and he made us concentrate on these things. We did not stay together for many years. We were together from 2011 to 2013 and we were in the same winter camp.”

Guerrilla Piling continued: “Comrade Yilmaz was really different. He was different in everything. He said that comradeship was more than just a brotherhood, that one had to be loyal enough to each other. He had a really strong and deep involvement. He was always with his fighters, with his comrades.

We were together during the withdrawal process. He was doing his best to ensure the safety of his friends, to cross to the South in a safe way throughout the process. He always took care of the group. Panzers had come to observe the group, and martyr Yilmaz immediately jumped forward and went up a high hill for all the friends to safely cross the area. There he was watching all the panzers while his friends were passing by. He had such a character."