Guerrillas Zinar Raperîn and Akif Tolhildan died on 13 July while resisting the Turkish invasion of the Zap region in South Kurdistan. The Press Center of the People's Defense Forces (HPG) announced their death and published information about them. The HPG paid tribute to the two fallen soldiers as militants willing to make sacrifices and who fought unreservedly and courageously for a free and dignified life. The HPG expressed its condolences to the relatives and people of Kurdistan.

  Codename: Zinar Raperin

  First and last name: Mücahit Güngör

  Place of birth: Bedlis

  Names of mother and father: Sitî – Hacı Fadıl

  Date and place of death: 13 July 2023 / Zap

 

  Codename: Akif Tolhildan

  First and last name: Mehmet Emin Atuğ

  Place of birth: Mêrdîn

  Names of Mother and Father: Aynur – Ramazan

  Date and place of death: 13 July 2023 / Zap

Zinar Raperin

Zinar Raperîn was born in a village in Bedlîs-Xîzan. He worked in the village and had no contact with the Kurdish liberation movement. When someone from his family joined the guerrillas in 2013, his interest in the PKK's freedom struggle grew. He was particularly fascinated by the Rojava revolution. In 2015 he went to the mountains in Amed and became a guerrilla himself. He received initial training in Amed and then came to the Medya Defense Areas for in-depth basic training.

Life in the mountains thrilled him and he was interested in all its aspects. During his academic training, he learned about the reality of the Kurdish people from a different perspective and acquired ideological and military knowledge. Since the negotiation process for a solution to the Kurdish question was called off by the Turkish state during this time, Zinar had to focus on military capabilities. Because of his militant attitude and sincerity, he was then given tasks that required great trust in him. He then took part in the liberation offensive against ISIS in Shengal and defended the Yazidi community against genocide. During this war he developed a deep connection with his fellow fighters, which significantly shaped the rest of his life. After his return to the mountains, he focused on modern guerrilla tactics and trained other fighters. At the same time, he dealt intensively with Abdullah Öcalan's thoughts. Most recently, with great military competence and deep solidarity with his comrades, he resisted the Turkish invasion in the western Zap region on the front line.

Akif Tolhildan

Akif Tolhildan was born in Mêrdîn-Nisêbîn. His family gave him an awareness of his Kurdish identity and ethical values. He knew about the PKK as a child and many people from his social circle joined the freedom movement. Because his family was exposed to constant repression by the Turkish state, he became politically active at an early age and was involved in the Kurdish youth movement.

After being arrested several times, he went to Rojava and took part in the resistance against the Islamist and Turkish occupation attacks. He acquired and developed military knowledge while defending the Rojava Revolution. To expand his fight, he went to the mountains and joined a guerrilla unit. Because he grew up with the PKK culture and corresponding values, he built relationships based on freedom with his comrades. The HPG described Akif as an exemplary apoist militant.