YPJ fighters, the nightmare of ISIS caught in the Cizire Storm with the Deir ez-Zor operation and headed to oblivion, are fighting in the front lines. YPJ’s female fighters waging the war for women’s freedom against the darkness of patriarchy play a great role in attack groups, civilian rescue operations and area defense in particular.

The youngest member of the battalion is Dilar, whose loving eyes and industrious stance stand out, spoke about her first combat in the Deir ez-Zor, her first excitement and her love for the revolution.

Dilar Tekman joined the YPJ from Serhat in 2015. She undertook various duties in all areas of the war for three years, working in the “kitchen” of the war when she was just 19. Dilar called her labor as an expression of her love for the revolution and said the YPJ brought out the women’s will.

Dilar said the following on how she was influenced: “I joined after being impressed by the friends and the people who resisted in Kobanê. There was a huge massacre there. ISIS gangs raped many women, and killed so many women and children. I couldn’t accept these attacks, and I wanted to avenge the martyrs. I had the lead in my family.”

"WITH THE YPJ WE DEFEAT THE ENEMY"

Dilar Tekman pointed out the importance of women taking part in the war as a will and said: “As a woman, it is very important to have a will. The YPJ has allowed me to see this strength in myself. In the YPJ we have the right to express ourselves, and we have also achieved the strength and the will to fight against the enemy. Before, this awareness wasn’t there, the YPJ created this right.”

The Deir ez-Zor operation is the first that Dilar Tekman has participated in, so she had many concerns just going through her head. She talked about the first clash she was in: “I always thought about how I would feel when I first saw the enemy. If I don’t kill them, they will kill me. I saw the gangs for the first time when they came in for an attack in the morning. It was a large scale attack. We ran to the positions with my friends. When they fired the first bullet, I paused with shock. Then I saw the enemy advancing towards my friends. When the gangs were close enough, the friends fired. At that moment I took the DShK. An incredible strength came over me and I fought against them with a stronger will, so my friends would not be martyred. And we destroyed the enemy. Their bodies are still out there. They weren’t able to harm any friends in that attack, and we taught them a good lesson. It was a great feeling to be part of this success. I felt like I was avenging the women and children they had massacred. I can say that that was my first combat, my first excitement.”

“All the women of the world should take us as an example,” said Dilar Tekman and added that she wants all women to know that they are fighting for their freedom.

Dilar Tekman said she experienced feelings she never had before with the YPJ as a woman and added the following about their life: “Here we live together, we do everything together. We sometimes joke around, and sometimes we criticize each other. There are no damaging relationships. We get to know each other better in the fronts, and our love and connections grow. We share our experiences. Our sharing is very important here.”

She talked about daily life inside the war too: “This is an empty desert. We advance by building positions. At night it’s freezing, and during the day it is too hot. We are always under the glaring sun. We keep our ammunition clear and in order. We take our precautions against the enemy, we are always in the positions. There are hardships we experience, but we overcome all with solidarity.”

YPJ’s Dilar Tekman stressed that they will continue to fight for a future with more freedom and said: “We will continue on our path with more victories. It is the enemy that will be defeated. In our struggle in the war and life, we will work for free women and an equal life. And like in Raqqa, we will award the epic victory in Deir ez-Zor to the women of the world.”