The International Women's Day on 8 March was welcomed with great enthusiasm in Kurdistan. The excitement and enthusiasm peaked in the free mountains, where YJA Star (Free Women’s Troops) guerrillas welcomed 8 March with great resistance, enthusiasm and excitement.

YJA Star guerrillas Aryana Baran and Dîcle Serbilind spoke to ANF about the importance and meaning of 8 March to them.

Aryana Baran: “Leader Apo [Abdullah Öcalan] gave us the idea that we should make every day of the year a women's day. Thanks to his ideas, we have feelings, thoughts and consciousness. Women who resist and struggle all over the world, claim their freedom, identity and the slogan ‘Jin, Jiyan, Azadî’ [Woman, Life, Freedom]. Women who claim their essence are our source of morale and strength. Women who have suffered from the male-dominated mentality for years have gained courage and are standing up, and this gives us strength. As female guerrillas in the mountains of Kurdistan, we struggle against the darkness imposed on women and we wage this struggle with the power of Leader Apo's ideas.”

Remarking that women will surely succeed when they all come together as one color and voice and demand their freedom, Aryana Baran said: “We do not want a human being, a living creature to face slavery. We struggle with great enthusiasm in difficult mountain conditions to break the chain of slavery. We are excited to start building a life that belongs to us because we have a paradigm with which we can protect ourselves against all dangers. We stand with women who fight for themselves, who do not submit to power, who do not accept violence. We feel and understand every woman suffering all over the world. As a matter of fact, we invite all women to the field of struggle to gain their freedom and we state that the idea of Leader Apo will lead us to this freedom.”

Congratulating the guerrillas and all women on 8 March, Dîcle Serbilind said: “Due to the impositions of the male-state mentality, women have been confined to a narrow space without recognition of their thoughts, will and nature. In this context, women are subjected to massacres, torture and oppression every day. In this way, the male-dominated mentality has created a flood of fear in the hearts of women, condemning them to subjugation, silence and slavery. The road map for women to return to their power, will and essence is Jineoloji, the Science of Women. Women become conscious and educate themselves through Jineoloji. Jineoloji is the guarantee of our future. The struggle of female guerrillas was carried out at the highest level and enhanced on the basis of the Ideology of Women's Liberation. This was also the result of Leader Apo's efforts. With the paradigm of Leader Apo, women saw their own power and will and recognized themselves. Every young woman who loves freedom should know that the way to know herself is to fight for freedom. For this very reason, women should act consciously.”