Internationalist Tîjda Zagros (Kelly Freygang) has fallen in the Kurdish freedom struggle. This was announced by the HPG (People's Defense Forces) Press Office in an obituary. The HPG honored the native of Hamburg as a great internationalist revolutionary and expressed their deepest condolences to her family, internationalist comrades, and all peoples.

According to the information, Tîjda Zagros died on April 29, 2025, during a drone attack by the Turkish military in the resistance area of Girê Bahar on the western front of the Zap region in the Medya Defense Zones of Southern Kurdistan (Northern Iraq).

“Our comrade Tîjda believed in the democratic, ecological, and women-liberating paradigm of our leadership based on the freedom of all peoples and broke away from the capitalist system by coming to the mountains of Kurdistan. Her heart beat for all of humanity, and she fought for the socialism of a democratic society. In the Kurdish mountains, she found herself and fought for all peoples. She defended the values she believed in until her last breath. In doing so, she became an example of great devotion,” said the HPG obituary.

The internationalist was described as selfless and dedicated, leaving behind a significant legacy of struggle. The HPG wrote: “As a model militant of the PKK and PAJK, she has entered the freedom history of the peoples. With her ideological depth, military skill, comradely relationships, determination to strike the enemy, and her enthusiastic personality, she fulfilled every task she undertook. Comrade Tîjda follows in the footsteps of Ronahî (Andrea Wolf), Nûdem (Uta Schneiderbanger), Şiyar (Jacob Riemer), Sara (Sarah Handelmann), Bager (Michael Panser), Azad (Thomas Johann Spies), and Elefteria (Eva Maria Steiger), and has inscribed her name indelibly in the history of the peoples’ freedom struggle. We offer our condolences to the esteemed family of our comrade Tîjda, all our internationalist comrades, and all peoples, and we pledge to fulfill the greatest wish of our fallen—to create a just, equal, free, and socialist world.”

Personal details provided by the HPG:

 Code name: Tîjda Zagros

 Full name: Kelly Freygang

 Place of birth: Hamburg, Germany

 Parents: Gunda – Jochen

 Date and place of death: April 29, 2025 / Zap

The Kurdish freedom movement has been internationalist since its inception and has taken on a global character. The HPG emphasized this again in their tribute to Tîjda Zagros: “A high price has been paid for building a democratic modernity based on the freedom of peoples and peaceful coexistence as an alternative to capitalist modernity. Our party, with its dedication to socialism, has entered the global history of struggle and has become a beacon of hope not only for the peoples of the Middle East but for all of humanity. Many of our internationalist comrades have turned toward this light of Rêber Apo (Leader Öcalan) and plunged into a hard struggle to live and build true socialism. Thousands of internationalists have fallen in this heroic struggle and have become an unshakeable bridge of peoples’ brotherhood.”

Tîjda Zagros was born in Hamburg. In a video statement, she said that her democratic and socially engaged family had a strong influence on her personality. While studying law, she came into contact with the Kurdish freedom movement and began focusing on the war in the Middle East, particularly in Kurdistan. She was deeply impressed by the leading role of women in the Kurdish guerrilla and the determined fight against ISIS, especially the resistance in Kobanê, which gave her strength. She saw the Kurdish movement as an alternative to the patriarchal and capitalist system and joined the Kurdish freedom struggle in 2017.

In the Medya Defense Zones, Tîjda took part in basic training for new fighters. Although unfamiliar with mountain life, she quickly adapted to her new conditions. She engaged deeply with Abdullah Öcalan’s philosophy of a free life and enthusiastically participated in practical work. In 2021, she joined the Hêzên Taybet (Special Forces), which requires ideological depth and explicit self-sacrifice. After her training, she became a skilled ideological and military fighter in the YJA Star (Free Women’s Units) in the Zap region.

“With her courage and selflessness in battle, she gained the respect and deep affection of her comrades,” the HPG wrote. “As a free and socialist woman, she embodied the leadership role of YJA Star both in life and in warfare. She was a masterful guerrilla fighter and played a role in the development, security, and protection of her comrades. Comrade Tîjda became highly professional in executing modern tactics and never hesitated even in the most difficult tasks. She successfully completed every mission she took on. The deaths of some of her fellow fighters deeply affected her, but she continued her revolutionary journey with determination, keeping their memory alive and fighting for their goals.”

According to the HPG, Tîjda Zagros fought for the realization and global dissemination of the ideology of women’s liberation and entered history as a selfless and capable fighter of YJA Star: “She was a major representative of the women’s liberation struggle, which was created through immense sacrifice and stretches from Rosa Luxemburg, Clara Zetkin, and the Mirabal Sisters to Sara, Bêrîtan, Zîlan, Rûken, and Asya. Our comrade Tîjda fell on April 29, 2025, in a drone strike carried out by the Turkish army. We promise to realize the dreams for which she gave her life.”