The story of Şilan Ökmen (Rahime Xebat), who chose a dignified life, begins in one of the warm stone houses of Mardin. Şilan was born into a patriotic family. Şilan found her soul in the beautiful lands of Kurdistan.

At a young age, she started to get to know the PKK through her family and people around her. Şilan also witnessed the genocidal policies of the fascist Turkish state against the Kurdish people and felt great anger towards the enemy. Over time, she turned her anger towards the enemy into a conscious struggle. She became aware of the lies of the system. Influenced by the deaths of her close relatives and the participation in the PKK, Şilan joined the guerrillas in 2014. She said: “I should also carry this burden. If the brave sons and daughters of Kurdistan are fighting against the invaders for a free Kurdistan in the mountains, it is unjust for me to live as if nothing is happening”. She adopted the name of Botan's legendary commander, Rahime Çiçek, to pay tribute to her. And she took her first steps into the mountains of Botan.  

The reason for her happiness and excitement was that her hopes were in the mountains.

At the beginning of her revolutionary struggle, she vowed to become a determined member of the freedom struggle. She was loved by her comrades for her smiling face and self-sacrifice. She promised to avenge her people. In her struggle she focused on victory and did not accept any result other than absolute success. Her honest and sincere personality was also seen in her relations with fellow fighters and enabled her to establish a strong bond with all her comrades.

SHE BECAME A LEADING YJA STAR COMMANDER

Rahime became a model YJA Star fighter with her combative personality and uncompromising stance. She put her heart into her revolutionary struggle from Botan to Garzan. She always concentrated on protecting her comrades and country. Rahime devoted her life to her people. With her rebellious stance and her belief in the revolution, she gave morale and strength to everyone. As a woman, she considered it as one of her main purposes to go beyond the boundaries drawn for her and to break down the thick walls in which she was imprisoned. She realized this goal with her unique efforts and labour. She scrutinized the defences and analysis of Kurdish leader Abdullah Öcalan, whom she regarded as a source of life.

Rahime learnt something new every time she read Öcalan, incorporating this knowledge into her personality and making it a part of her life. As an Apoist militant, she put the blame on herself for the heavy isolation Öcalan was subjected to.

With her unyielding personality which suggested solutions to problems, YJA Star guerrilla Rahime developed herself in the military-ideological field and became a leading YJA Star commander. As her anger towards the enemy gradually grew, she wanted to use every opportunity to avenge her fallen comrades. With this determination, she turned to the Garzan mountain. And in a short time, she led her comrades during the fierce battles.

YJA Star guerrilla Rahime Xebat fell a martyr on 1 September 2022 in an armed conflict with the enemy forces in the Garzan area, fighting heroically until her last breath.