Guerrillas Rosîda Mêrdîn, Mazlum Doğan and Berxwedan Qamishlo fell as martyrs last March. The Press Center of the People's Defense Forces (HPG) said in a statement that Rosîda Mêrdîn was a long-time media worker and commander of the Free Women’s Units (YJA Star). Mazlum came from Afrin and Berxwedan was an Arab internationalist. Both fought against ISIS in Rojava. The HPG expressed its condolences to the families of the martyrs and the people of Kurdistan and stated that the freedom struggle continues.

The HPG provided the following information on the identity of the martyrs:

 Code name: Rosîda Mêrdîn

 First and last name: Emine Demir

 Place of birth: Mêrdîn

 Names of mother and father: Yıldız–Nezir

 Date and place of death: 17/3/2024 / Medya Defense Areas

 Code name: Mazlum Doğan

 First and last name: Besam Ali

 Place of birth: Efrîn

 Names of mother and father: Mehe – Adnan

 Date and place of death: 17/3/2024 / Medya Defense Areas

 Code name: Berxwedan Qamişlo

 First and last name: Amir Ahmed El Casim

 Place of birth: Qamişlo

 Names of mother and father: Siham – Ahmed

 Date and place of death: 1773/2024 / Medya Defense Areas

Rosîda Mêrdîn

Rosîda Mêrdîn was born in Mardin-Qoser and grew up under the influence of the Kurdish freedom movement. Her family was close to the movement, and many people from her family circle were active in the freedom struggle. Rosîda was attached to the Kurdish identity, culture and language and fought to preserve them.

She continued this commitment from 2007 onwards while studying in Ankara. She worked for the Kurdish newspaper Azadiya Welat and was arrested. After her release, she took on responsibility as editor of the newspaper. Solely because of this work, she was sentenced to 137 years in prison at the age of 24. Because the Turkish state left her no other option, she went to the mountains and took part in free media work there. She received basic training for new guerrilla fighters and became a militant advocate of the women's liberation ideology.

In the following period, she worked as a media professional for the co-chairs of the KCK Executive Council and at the headquarters of the HPG, among others. She wrote texts and prepared the publication of books and programs. With her work, she made the guerrilla struggle known and made a significant contribution to the public perception of the freedom movement and to raising awareness among the Kurdish people.

She placed great importance on developing herself in all areas and recognizing and overcoming her own weaknesses. She trained many comrades for media work. Her energy and enthusiasm influenced those around her.

Rosîda participated in the liberation struggle at all levels. She worked as a newspaper seller, wrote masterful texts, resisted in prison, hosted TV programs and taught the Kurdish language. She was a talented editor, a strong companion and a commander. After years of working in media work, she went to the Zap region and participated in the resistance against the Turkish occupation attacks on the Kurojahro Front. She fought selflessly, was wounded and never gave up. In the last three years, she continued her fight in the Zap with determination. Rosîda was killed on 17 March together with her two comrades, Mazlum and Berxwedan.

Mazlum Doğan

Mazlum Doğan was born to Kurdish parents in Afrin-Shêrawa. His family was close to the freedom movement, so he knew about the PKK as a child. He admired the guerrillas and dreamed of one day being a freedom fighter in the mountains himself. During the revolution in Rojava, he became active in the youth movement and learned more about the ideology of Abdullah Öcalan. After about two years, he joined the defense forces and fought against Islamist groups of the Al-Nusra Front and ISIS.

He took part in various liberation offensives, learned how to use various weapons and gained combat experience. In 2018, he fought on the front lines against the Turkish invasion troops in Afrin and was wounded. His injury did not diminish his courage and willingness to make sacrifices, and he continued to fight.

In 2019, he suffered a serious injury during the Turkish invasion of Serêkaniyê. After his hometown of Afrin and a year and a half later, Serêkaniyê and Girê Spî were occupied by Turkey, Mazlum went to the mountains to join the guerrillas. He completed a short training course to adapt to the conditions of guerrilla life. He was able to do this quickly due to his enthusiasm for life in the mountains. After further specialized military training, in which he also prepared himself ideologically for combat operations, he joined a partially mobile unit and took part in resistance actions against the Turkish occupiers with great success.

Mazlum fought courageously and unreservedly. He was sincere and his warm personality made him loved and respected by his fellow fighters.

Berxwedan Qamishlo

Berxwedan Qamishlo was born to Arab parents in Qamishlo and grew up under the influence of the revolution in Rojava. He experienced all phases of the revolution and followed the legendary resistance against ISIS. He quickly realized that ISIS mercenaries had nothing to do with true Islam and he detested their inhumane acts.

He was convinced that a world in which all population groups and religious communities live together on an equal footing is possible. With this in mind, he became active in the revolutionary youth movement in Rojava and intensively engaged with the ideology of Abdullah Öcalan. To defend these ideas, he joined the armed struggle.

He underwent military training and specialized in the use of heavy weapons. After a short time, he was already taking part in actions against Islamist gangs. He suffered an injury to both feet, but after his recovery he continued to fight. It was clear to him that the Islamist attacks in Rojava were controlled by the Turkish state.

After the occupation of Serêkaniyê and Girê Spî, Berxwedan decided to join the guerrilla struggle in the mountains of Kurdistan. He was enthusiastic about the free life in the mountains, untouched by the capitalist system. He underwent initial training and was impressed by the collective way of life and the relationships between the fighters. In order to prepare himself for a combat mission against the Turkish occupiers, he trained in guerrilla warfare. He then fought in tunnels and in the field.

The Turkish army attacked with chemical weapons and other prohibited weapons of war and Berxwedan resisted with great courage and unshakable will. He was sincerely committed to the values ​​of freedom and enjoyed the trust of his fellow fighters.