HAVÎN AHMED

Qamishlo (Qamishli)- The forces that cannot tolerate the existence of the Kurds have been waging a war on the Kurdish people in North and East Syria while women wanting to defend their homeland have joined the Women's Defense Units (YPJ), which was officially formed on April 4, 2013.

The women of the YPJ have fought against ISIS and protected women against all kinds of atrocities. Avzem Çiya, who lost her life while fighting against the attacks of the Turkish state and Turkish-backed factions on the Tishreen Dam, was one of the YPJ fighters, who went down in history with their heroism.

Born in Qamishlo, a city of North and East Syria, Avzem Çiya went to school until the sixth grade. In 2022, she joined the YPJ to defend her people and her homeland. On January 2, 2025, she was martyred in a Turkish attack on the Tishreen Dam.

 “Since I do not have a daughter, Avzem Çiya was like my daughter, not granddaughter,” said Behiya Hisên, Avzem Çiya’s grandmother. “She lived with me from the third to sixth grade. She was a smart student, helping her brother. In 2022, she joined the YPJ.”

‘She danced halay and went’

One day before joining the YPJ, Avzem Çiya danced halay with her brother, Behiya Hisên told NuJINHA. “But no one understood why she danced halay. My daughter chose her own path by joining the YPJ, without breaking anyone’s heart. She did not tell me that she would go. I wanted to buy a present for her; however, she did not allow me. I understood why she did not allow me when she went.”

‘We are proud of her’

Behiya Hisên told us that she was proud of her daughter. “She decided to join the YPJ and we had to respect her. She was martyred like her comrades. We are proud of her.”