The People's Defense Forces (HPG) press center has announced the names of fallen guerrillas. Herekol Hezex (Yunus Uras) died on 3 December in Mardin-Dargeçit (Mêrdîn-Kerboran), Kurtay Şerzan (Hayrettin Güneş) on 17 November in Erzincan-Kemah (Ezirgan-Kemax). The HPG gave the following information about the identity of the martyrs and the circumstances of their death:

  Codename: Herekol Hezex

  First and last name: Yunus Uras

  Place of birth: Sirnex

  Names of mother and father: Melahat – Çaçan

  Date and place of death: December 3, 2023 / Mêrdîn

  Codename: Kurtay Serzan

  First and last name: Hayrettin Güneş

  Place of birth: Van

  Names of mother and father: Hamide - Nurettin

  Date and place of death: November 17, 2023 / Dersim

Herekol Hezex

Herekol Hezex fell as a martyr on 3 December together with Rodî Nalîn during enemy contact in the Deywan area in the North Kurdish province of Mardin (Mêrdîn). The HPG had already published the identity of Rodî Nalîn in an obituary on 6 December. According to the information, there was a fierce battle in which the two guerrillas defended themselves with light weapons and sacrificed themselves in order not to fall into enemy hands. Herekol Hezex fought as an apoist militant in North and South Kurdistan after joining the guerrillas eight years ago. The HPG expressed its condolences to his family, the people of Hezex and the people of Kurdistan.

Herekol was born and raised in Hezex. He knew about the PKK as a child and was aware of the reality of Kurdistan and the Turkish state's genocidal policy very early on. He dropped out of school after eight years because he perceived the Turkish education system as a means of assimilating Kurdish children. He was active in the Kurdish youth movement and in 2015 made his childhood dream come true by joining the guerrillas in Gabar. After initial training, he fought in the mountainous region of North Kurdistan until 2018. With his sincere and open-hearted personality, he devoted himself fully to the revolutionary struggle and became a valued apoist militant despite his young age. In 2017 he suffered an arm injury. There was little opportunity for adequate medical treatment, but he continued the fight even under these conditions.

In 2018, Herekol came to the Medya Defense Areas for in-depth training. He took on responsible tasks before returning to the north at his own suggestion. With his cheerful nature, his great love for his people and his country and the deep connection with Abdullah Öcalan and his comrades, he fought courageously and willingly to sacrifice until the end.

Kurtay Serzan

Kurtay Şerzan died on 17 November in Kemax in the Dersim. According to the HPG, the betrayal of a person named Aras led to his death. The HPG said that Kurtay was a courageous guerrilla who fought on the front lines in many different areas in North Kurdistan since 2015. The HPG expressed its condolences to his family and the Kurdish people.

Kurtay was born in Van and grew up in a village. Because his family and those around him were close to the freedom movement, he dreamed of a life as a guerrilla since he was a child. He stopped attending high school because he realized that the Turkish state schools had nothing to offer him. He initially continued to work in the village and later in Turkish cities in order to support his family economically and to stand on his own two feet. During this time, he got to know the PKK movement better and took part in youth work. When an uncle and a cousin joined the guerrillas in 2007 and the uncle was killed in fighting a year later, he became more active and worked in the youth movement for many years. In 2015 he went to the mountains in Amed. He received six weeks of basic training and quickly got used to guerrilla life. At the suggestion of his fellow fighters, he went from Amed to Dersim, where he took part in his first actions and learned a lot from experienced comrades. After each action, he critically examined the process and learned lessons from it. At the same time, he studied the philosophy of Abdullah Öcalan.

A year later he went to the Black Sea region and stayed in the areas around Trabzon and Giresun until 2018. In this practice he gained self-confidence and great competence. He stayed in the Koçgirî area for a short time before returning to Dersim to fight.