As the Kurdistan freedom struggle leaves behind 40 years, it has embraced tens of thousands of its children. They believed in the cause to the end with sacrifice, devotion and resolve. They paid every price imaginable, without so much as a passing doubt. Their successors continue to walk without doubt on the same path. Today there are many fighters whose sisters, brothers, mothers and fathers have joined the ranks of freedom. It is possible to see people who joined from the same places and the same families, fighting the enemy in the same trenches side by side. YJA Star guerrilla Dirok Cudi is among those who has had the honor of meeting her sister in the ranks she joined 3 years ago.

After a long break, we took on our journey to the Kurdistan mountains again. In these first days of winter, nature is like a postcard. On one hand there are the snow covered hills, and on the other yellowing leaves sacrificed to the natural cycle. We walk through paths and steep cliffs. There are memories in every step, we follow the courageous children of the Kurdistan mountains who have songs about them for every memory. I listen to their stories and the memories they collected.

ONE FROM QAMISHLO, ONE FROM NUSAYBIN

Dirok Cudi is a YJA Star guerrilla who joined the ranks of the PKK from Qamishlo after her sister joined from Mardin in 2015. Dirok Cudi points to a family torn apart between two parts of Kurdistan: “Qamishlo and Nusaybin are Kurdish towns that are home to the same families. Our family is one of those that has members living in Qamishlo and Nusaybin. My uncle and his family took my sister in when she was little. The borders drawn in Kurdistan separated us and stopped us from seeing each other. It was painful to live separately on the same land, to grow up with longing.”

MY SISTER DEFIED THE BORDERS

“My sister joined the PKK in 2015 to remove these borders,” said Cudi and spoke of how proud she was and what great morale it gave her to hear of the news: “I wanted to follow in her footsteps and to be reunited with her. That was my decision, but I didn’t have the means to do it. I joined the YPJ, thinking I would do something for my people where I was until I joined the guerrilla. I was a YPJ fighter in the Rojava Revolution for two years. I joined the ranks of the guerrilla in 2017 to quench my longing, as soon as I was able.”

DIFFICULT SENTIMENT TO EXPLAIN

YJA Star guerrilla Dirok Cudi has been in the Kurdistan mountains for a year, and said joining from the same family, fighting in the same trenches is a very different and difficult sentiment to explain: “The Kurdistan mountains, and the comradery of Kurdistan guerrillas is very distinct. I saw great will and great loyalty. There has been many friends in the PKK who joined from the same families this year. Some fight alongside their mothers, some their fathers, and some alongside their brothers or sisters. Joining from the same family, fighting in the same trenches against the enemy is a difficult sentiment to explain. I am now living through these feelings.”

HARD AND TOUGH PROCESS

YJA Star guerrilla Dirok Cudi said Kurds and Kurdistan have been going through a hard and tough process, and added: “On one hand, the conditions of the aggravated isolation imposed upon our Leader continue to worsen. There are fascist attacks against our country and our people every day. Our people are being killed, our mountains are set on fire. Staying silent during such times, doing nothing is impossible. There should be en masse participations against en masse fascist attacks. Such is the time we live in. The path to freedom is through Kurdistan.”

We continue on our path to hear from other guerrillas.