With Apê Nemir, a symbol of resistance has died. The YPG press center announced the death of one of the oldest fighters on 13 October. The 74-year-old died of a heart attack. His story is a symbol of the history of the people of Rojava. Apê Nemir, whose real name was Khalil Osman Heme, was born in 1950 in the village of Dihapê near Kobanê. He was the family's only son and grew up in an environment characterized by Kurdish patriotism. The young, politically interested farmer was arrested three times by the Assad regime because of his commitment, but he did not allow repression to deter him from his path.

A family in the fight for freedom

The year 1980 represented a decisive turning point in his life. At that time, he met Abdullah Öcalan personally and became an active supporter of the Kurdish freedom movement. Apê Nemir has six children who were also involved in various areas of the freedom movement and were heavily involved in the Rojava revolution in both military defense and social organization. Despite the difficult conditions and limited opportunities in the first years of the revolution, Apê Nemir did a great deal in organizing work and in particular in preparing Kobanê's resistance against ISIS.

Fight for Kobanê

In 2014, the Turkish state diverted the advance of ISIS to Kobanê. Although the Islamic State made propaganda about the overthrow of the regime in Damascus, the terrorist militia threw all its resources at the small town on the Turkish border. Kobanê was the place where the Rojava revolution had begun and that was where ISIS and Turkey wanted to bury it. At the same time, Kobanê was to become a strategic distribution center for logistics and recruits for ISIS supplied from Turkey. But the Turkish state and ISIS had not taken into consideration the presence of people like Apê Nemir. In Kobanê, ISIS encountered massive resistance, and finally, its back was broken there by a real people's war.

In the fight from day one

Apê Nemir took part in the resistance in Kobanê from day one. Although all his comrades advised him to leave the city because of his age, he refused and continued to fight. He stressed that he would fight to the end in the place he was born in. Apê Nemir was injured three times in the resistance on the southern front in the villages of Boraz, Çarqelî and Girê Sêvî. He was wounded in the arm and leg. So he returned to the front from the hospital in North Kurdistan before his treatment was completed. Although his arm was permanently paralyzed due to his injury, he continued to fight and became a symbol of resistance.

Expression of the reality in Kobanê

This is how he also attracted the attention of journalists who visited the front. He became world-famous when he said: "I want to free our country from this filth. Two of my children and I are taking part in this fight. I haven't seen my children for months. I don't know where they are. All young people in Kobanê who have honor and dignity should come and save their city from these criminals."

Apê Nemir and his children fought against ISIS in Kobanê until the end. His son Osman was killed in the ISIS massacre in Kobanê in June 2015. Despite his injuries, Apê Nemir continued his resistance. Until his death, Nemir was involved in the revolutionary construction work at all levels.

He left behind a great legacy of resistance. On 15 October, a huge crowd of people attended his funeral at the Kobanê war cemetery.