The brother of Afrin guerrilla Mêrxas fell a martyr, killed by the KDP in 1997, said: “They have become members of the Kurdish enemies, the Turkish state, and the MIT. They are attacking and killing Kurdish children today as they did yesterday.”

Nûrî Xelo (Mêrxas) was born in Afrin in 1979 and got to know the struggle for freedom at a young age. Mêrxas always dreamed of becoming a guerrilla. Despite many attempts to join, he was turned down because of his young age. He was involved in different works at the age of 14, regardless of his young age. However, he couldn't take it anymore and joined the guerrillas 3 years later.

Mêrxas stayed in Lebanon for a while and studied. Afterward, he went to Bashur Kurdistan in 1996-1997. As a result of the KDP forces besieging and attacking the guerrillas in 1997, he fell a martyr together with 5 of his friends.

Xelîl Ebdurrehman Xelo, said that his brother Mêrxas was very strong and added: “He was stronger and smarter than me. He was sensitive and responsible towards his family, relatives and people. He always wanted to help someone. He was pure-spirited and whole-hearted. That's why he was loved by everyone since his childhood."

He was up for great fights

Xelo said: "We got to know the Kurdish Freedom Struggle at a young age as a family. In the 1980s, my family became acquainted with the liberation movement. Therefore, we knew it for years. So did my brother Nuri. He was very attached to Kurdishness, to the struggle. He loved the freedom movement. He always wanted to join the guerrillas. Since he could not go because of his age, he was involved in work in the region when he was only 14 years old. Regardless of his age, he was up for big fights."

Xelo added: "He was 17-18 years old. He couldn't stand it any longer and joined the fight. He went to Lebanon. Six months later, he sent us a photo of Lebanon. After receiving education there, we learned that he moved to the Bashur Kurdistan region. After a while, he sent a photo of him standing in a guerrilla uniform from the mountains. Finally, his longing was satisfied and his dream came true. His struggle and perseverance have always set an example for us."

We got the news that my brother had fallen a martyr

Ebdurrehman Xelo told what he felt when he heard the news of his brother's martyrdom and what happened next: “I was working in Aleppo when the news of martyrdom came. Friends came to my mother's house. My mom called me and asked me to come. When I asked if there was some news, she said yes. When I asked what happened, she cried and said, 'Nûrî has fallen a martyr'. The moment I heard that my brother had been killed, I passed out.”

Xelo said that the Baath regime soldiers attacked the condolence area and added: "They did not even allow us to experience our pain while my brother was killed by the enemies and betrayers. This time the enemy came to our door and attacked the condolence tent. They detained two people. We barely escaped."

Saying that his cousins, who were in the war, told them about the details of his brother's death, Xelo said: "They said that my brother and 5 of his friends were besieged by the KDP forces and they were killed. My aunt's son was also at war there. He returned and told us all the details. When we heard that my brother had been killed by the KDP, our anger grew even more.”

The KDP is working with MIT

Xelo said: "If the KDP gets their hands on us, they will kill us too. They are so inhuman. They are attacking the Kurds today, just as they killed my brother and thousands of young Kurdish people. We always say that they are Kurds. It is wrong. Such people cannot be Kurds. They are betrayers who constantly work with the enemy. They became members of the Turkish state and MIT. Kurds living all over the world must rise up against these enemy collaborators. Together we must stand against them.”