The Press Center of the People's Defense Forces (HPG-BIM) has released the identities of the five fighters who were killed in a chemical weapons attack by Turkey on October 5 at the Werxelê mountain range in the Avaşîn region of southern Kurdistan (northern Iraq). They are Cumali Çorum, Çavrê Kamuran, Dilvîn Dalaho, Amara Cûdî and Mahir Kop. The HPG paid tribute to their struggle and offered their condolences to all the bereaved families, and also announced retaliation.

An obituary of the martyrs with their biographies states:

"Since the beginning of the extensive Turkish occupation operation on April 23, our forces have been responding to the attacks of the fascist enemy within the framework of the revolutionary offensive 'Bazên Zagrosê' with heroic epics that will go down in history. In the course of this invasion, especially since June 7, a fierce struggle has been waged at Girê Sor and Werxelê, demonstrating the will to resist selflessly. Both places have been transformed into large resistance areas, clever tactics of our forces overwhelm the invaders in their invasion. At the same time, the occupiers are dealt heavy blows and inflicted heavy losses. By securing war equipment and explosives on a large scale, Werxelê has been turned into an impenetrable fortress by the guerrillas. Completely helpless against the guerrillas' tactics, their mobile units, positions and tunnel systems, the occupiers use the full range of warfare resources at their disposal. For the first four months, intensive air strikes were carried out by fighter jets and helicopters. Because these failed to produce results, tons of TNT and other explosives were brought into the region and used against the defenses. Nevertheless, the occupying forces' attempts to advance have been broken and brought to nothing hundreds of times by our forces.

In response to their incompetence, the occupying forces are now using chemical warfare agents, which are among the most lethal weapons and whose use is outlawed worldwide. The Turkish state is thus committing war crimes and ignoring the rules of international law. The guerrillas have documented these outrages and made them available to the public. In order to overcome the situation that the guerrilla resistance cannot be broken even by the use of poison gas, the army of the fascist state of Turkey has been carrying out its attacks with a new type of chemical weapon for several weeks, which is much more powerful than the previous ones. The explosive effect of this weapon is extremely high. The amounts of gas released in the atmosphere develop destruction in a large damage radius and destroys all life. The cowardly Turkish army boasts of having murdered our five friends in the most vile and outlawed way. It calls this act a success, but it is the biggest stain in its history. The Turkish state is primarily responsible for this massacre, but so are all the international powers that supplied these banned weapons and all the forces that do not oppose such war crimes and ignore them for their own interests."

The personal details of the martyrs are:

Nom de Guerre: Cumali Çorum First-Last Name: Zeynel Erocağı Birthplace: Çorum Mother's-Father's Name: Mahsime – Rıza Date and Place of Martyrdom: 5 October 2021 / Avaşîn

 

Nom de Guerre: Çavrê Kamuran First-Last Name: Süheyla Kırmızıtaş Birthplace: Hakkari Mother's-Father's Name: Safiye – Celal Date and Place of Martyrdom: 5 October 2021 / Avaşîn

 

Nom de Guerre: Dilvîn Dalaho First-Last Name: Rêzan Deraferîn Birthplace: Merîvan Mother's-Father's Name: Necîm – Abdullah Date and Place of Martyrdom: 5 October 2021 / Avaşîn

 

Nom de Guerre: Amara Cûdî First-Last Name: Rojîn Ramazan Birthplace: Derîk Mother's-Father's Name: Hukmiye – Muhammed Said Date and Place of Martyrdom: 5 October 2021 / Avaşîn

 

Nom de Guerre: Mahir Kop First-Last Name: Çetin Çelik Birthplace: Muş Mother's-Father's Name: Ayten – Rahmi Date and Place of Martyrdom: 5 October 2021 /

 

CUMALİ ÇORUM

Cumali Çorum was born in Mecitözü in the Black Sea region to a democratic revolutionary family. He spent his childhood in the village of Kayı, where he also attended elementary school. He went to high school in Izmir. The move there represented the first turning point in his life, HPG wrote in its obituary. He did not remain indifferent to what was happening around him and tried to make sense of life as a whole. The capitalist life in the city beyond feeling and sentiment was the first contradiction Cumali Çorum was confronted with. As a defensive reflex and in order to protect his personality, not to break away from the traditions of Alevism that his family had lived with for centuries, he soon took his first steps on the road to revolution. His revolutionary commitment became particularly intense under the impact of the Sivas pogrom, in which 33 intellectuals and two employees were burned alive by an Islamist-fascist mob at the Madımak Hotel on July 2, 1993. He believed that socialism was the only way to liberate humanity. In 1995, Cumali Çorum got to know the PKK and its mastermind Rêber Apo. The ideology behind it impressed him. He researched and learned a lot, and by 1997 he was already actively participating in the work of organizing the people. Two years later, he was remanded in custody for several months because of actions he carried out against the deportation of Abdullah Öcalan to Turkey. In 2002, he turned to the free mountains of Kurdistan in July.

 

In the guerrilla ranks, Cumali Çorum relatively quickly became part of the special unit Hêzên Taybet and fulfilled his duties as a sacrificial militant. After a while in Qandîl, Behdînan and Xinere, he went to the north of Kurdistan; to those areas where the war was particularly fierce. Between 2006 and 2011, he stayed in the Gabar region, known for its difficulties, after which he was drawn to Mardin. There he was injured in a battle and sent to the Medya Defense Zones to recover. After recovering, he attended command training centers. He quickly became an accomplished commander and took care of training hundreds of fighters. Cumali Çorum pioneered the establishment of new branches within the structures of self-sacrifice, bringing about qualitative leaps in the guerrillas' development. His military-ideological attitude was reflected in every moment of his life, he maintained a sincere and intimate relationship with all his friends. The most important principle for him was to share his experiences and knowledge. He believed deeply from his heart in the women's liberation ideology of Ocalan, was considered a good companion of women and was a good son to his mother, who had shaped his upbringing with the characteristics of a natural society.

In Avaşîn, Cumali Çorum was active at the regional level within the guerrilla command there since 2018. He led dozens of successful actions against the Turkish occupation forces and was considered the "nightmare of Avaşîn" by them. In Werxelê, he led the resistance against the invasion and defended his friends in the war tunnels. "He is emblematic of the character of the Apoist self-sacrificial commanders and their firm belief in victory. Together with his companions, comrade Cumali left a heroic epic to humanity. His socialist personality illuminates the faces of all of us."

ÇAVRÊ KAMURAN

Çavrê Kamuran was born in Gever (Yüksekova) in the province of Hakkari. The region is traditionally considered patriotic, and people from almost every family have joined the liberation struggle. Çavrê Kamuran's family is also among the supporters of the Kurdish cause. With this in mind, she took to the mountains as a young woman in 2008 - at a time when the war was being fought particularly intensely. "The moment she joined the ranks of the guerrillas, Hevala Çavrê immediately realized that she had arrived in true freedom. With both arms she held this new life tightly, for it was precisely as a woman that new opportunities presented themselves to her. It offered her the opportunity to take revenge on the male-dominated system that in Kurdistan, in the form of the Turkish state, has the Kurdish people in its grip of genocide. For this, she adapted to the life in the mountains within a very short time and devoted herself fully to the Apoist philosophy and identity of the free woman."

 

Çavrê Kamuran underwent ideological training and formed herself into a competent guerrilla fighter. In her capacity as a free woman, she passed on the paradigm of the new life everywhere. At the same time, she actively fought on the fronts wherever the Turkish state's attacks against the guerrillas and the Kurdish people had a totalitarian and genocidal character. Her areas of operation included the Zagros Mountains, Heftanîn, Botan and Rojava, where she played an important role in the successes. Several times she was injured in battles, but still always chose the military field, about which she was passionate. "Our friend Çavrê was considered an example of female militancy. Her strong-willed attitude and practical intelligence did not allow an alternative to success; victory was the standard. In this regard, she believed in the new-age tactics and methods of guerrilla warfare. Since 2017, she was in Avaşîn, where she took on responsible tasks at various levels and became a leading commander of YJA Star by means of continuous training. Popular among all of us for her simple and humble manner, she was a role model figure. She was considered a source of courage and confidence, especially because of her anger towards the enemy and her actions. To the inhuman attacks in Werxelê and the calls to surrender, she answered with the weapon in her hand. She is the creator of a glorious history that made no concessions to the enemies of freedom and fought with determination. She joined the caravan of the martyrs."

DILVÎN DALAHO

Dilvîn Dalaho came from Eastern Kurdistan and grew up in a patriotic family. Her environment's attachment to the Kurdish liberation struggle caused her to develop a national consciousness at an early age. She felt responsible and embarked on a quest that led to her first encounter with the PKK reality. In 2012, she joined the guerrillas in the mountains to fight against the ever-present threat of genocide against Kurds living under occupation. Aware of the seriousness and gravity of her duties, she adapted to the new life, placing great emphasis on military arts and tactics. She worked hard to develop herself into a competent and accomplished fighter and dedicated herself to the paradigm of Abdullah Ocalan with the basic pillars of women's liberation, democracy and ecology. After missions in different regions, she was most recently involved in the Werxelê resistance.

 

AMARA CUDÎ

Amara Cûdî was born in Dêrik/Rojava. She grew up in a family connected to the Kurdish resistance and got to know the liberation movement as a child. From 2013, she dedicated herself to life with the guerrillas, aligning herself with the lines of the PKK and the PAJK. She quickly became an accomplished commander, her humble and devoted nature distinguished her character, she was shown much love and respect. From the beginning of the invasion of the Turkish state in Southern Kurdistan, which started on April 23, Amara Cûdî took her place as a commander on the front line. In Werxelê, she participated in all actions against the occupation under the most difficult conditions and limited possibilities. "She made intensive efforts to keep alive the spirit of resistance and victory. Her name and that of her friends are written with golden letters in the history of the liberation struggle of our people. As the spirit of the resistant Kurdish women, she will always live on in our resistance."

 

MAHİR KOP

Mahir Kop was born in Muş, northern Kurdistan, to patriotic parents. He joined the guerrillas in 2015, when the Turkish state razed entire towns in Kurdistan to the ground at curfew time. "Joining the ranks of the liberation struggle was our friend Mahir's response to the occupiers. He came into the awareness that the freedom guerrillas of Kurdistan were the elementary defense force for the existence of our people, and because of this fact, he took on all the tasks without any restrictions. Comrade Mahir developed into a competent fighter in a short time. With his modest manner, he enjoyed great popularity in his area of Avaşîn, to which he was passionately committed. He participated in quite a few actions and always oriented his actions along the line of victory. He was a persistent advocate of life with the guerrillas, feeling responsible to each and every friend and to all his comrades. He endeavored at every moment to pass on ideological and military perspectives to them and to make his contribution to their further education. In Werxelê, he fought with great courage from the very beginning, defending each and every position and not letting the enemy pass. Comrade Mahir takes his place in the history of the resistance of our people as a bold representative of Apoist philosophy."