The press center of the People's Defense Forces (HPG) issued a statement confirming that guerrillas Ibrahim Tolhildan and Nurhak Dêrik were killed on Tuesday in clashes with the Turkish army in the province of Mardin (Mêrdîn).

The statement said: “On 10 October 2023, our comrades Ibrahim and Nurhak came into contact with the Turkish occupying army in the Omeryan area of Mêrdîn. When our comrades reacted, a fierce battle broke out. The Turkish occupying army attacked our comrades with hundreds of occupiers and used various military techniques. Our comrades, Ibrahim and Nurhak, responded to the attacks with great courage and self-sacrificing spirit and fought for hours. During the clashes, the enemy was dealt a heavy blow. Three occupiers were killed and others were injured.”

The HPG pointed out that the Turkish state was hiding its losses and that they were not reported in the Turkish media. The HPG said: “We express our condolences to the precious families of our comrades Ibrahim and Nurhak as well as the patriotic people of Kurdistan and we promise to keep the flag of the revolution high, aware of our responsibility towards the martyrs.”

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

 Nom de Guerre: Ibrahim Tolhildan

 First and last name: Bilal Şahin

 Place of birth: Batman

 Names of mother and father: Lamia – Ali

 Date and place of death: 10 October 2023 / Mardin

 

 Nom de Guerre: Nurhak Dêrik

 First and last name: Ramazan Temel

 Place of birth: Mardin

 Names of mother and father: Mehdiye – Cebrail

 Date and place of death: 10 October 2023 / Mardin

 

Ibrahim Tolhildan

Ibrahim Tolhildan was born in Êlih (Batman) into a nomadic family. His family belongs to the Qîroyî branch of the Didêrî tribe, and several of his relatives joined the Kurdish liberation struggle. Even as a child, he dreamed of one day becoming a guerrilla. He dropped out of school in middle school and started working. When his cousins Metin and Zeki Şahin were killed in the freedom struggle, Ibrahim became active in the revolutionary youth movement. Because he found this commitment to be inadequate, he went to the mountains in 2013.

Ibrahim had his first experiences as a guerrilla fighter in the mountains of Garzan. After a short period of practice, due to the decision to withdraw from Turkish territory at the time, he went to the Medya Defense Zones, where he received basic training. The HPG described Ibrahim as a hard-working person with a mature and humble personality. With these qualities, he developed quickly and soon took on responsibility in the commandant's office for training new fighters. He conveyed to his comrades the apoist ideology and cooperative spirit in the PKK and dedicated himself to this work with great commitment.

In order to professionalize himself in all areas, he took part in further training and benefited from experienced commanders. He was then active in various regions and areas of work in the Medya Defense Zones. In practice, he gained experience and stuck to motivating and strengthening his comrades everywhere, thereby making life more beautiful and the fight more successful. At his own suggestion, he went to North Kurdistan and came to the Mardin region. There he took part in the fight in a leading position until the end.

Nurhak Derik

Nurhak Dêrik was born in Dêrika Çiyayê Mazî in Mardin and belonged to the Sorkî tribe. He grew up aware of his Kurdish identity and the resistance tradition typical of the region. He later moved to Urfa (Riha) with his family. There, in his youth, he witnessed the Kobanê resistance, which had a great influence on him. The fact that people he knew sacrificed their lives in the fight against ISIS was a turning point for him. In 2015 he went to the mountains and joined the guerrillas.

Nurhak took part in training for new fighters in Metina. He described this time as a step into a new life. For him, the guerrilla was an environment in which freedom was lived in the simplest form.

He dedicated himself to this life with great enthusiasm and tireless energy. After basic training, he stayed in Metîna and took part in practical work. When the situation required it, he accepted any danger to protect his comrades.

After further specialist training, he went to North Kurdistan in 2019 at his own request as a guerrilla of the democratic modernity and fought with great courage and determination.