Among the realities of life there is a social truth that impresses itself upon the human being: it shapes the person and forms the structure of personality.
In Kurdish society, although not universally, the culture and stance of resistance in particular have continued through many eras to the present day. Especially in the person of the Kurdish woman, the legacy of rising against injustice is entrusted to women as a measure. The pioneering guerrilla Pelşîn BAZ was one of the young women who followed this path and waged struggle for freedom with her Zîlan-like spirit.
The guerrilla Pelşîn BAZ, whose real name was Leyla EHMED, originally came from Kobanê and belonged to the Şêxiya tribe. Born into a patriotic family, she grew up with love of country. From childhood she had an inquisitive, active personality, and as she grew older her searching and questioning of life deepened. Narrow approaches that treated women as commodities or merely as beings who served men created contradictions within her and advanced her questioning. This further deepened her search for freedom and free coexistence. When the waves of revolution reached Western Kurdistan, not only Leyla but hundreds of young women were influenced by it, entered the revolution rank by rank, and struggled against the brutal ISIS gangs. The revolution led by free women made its influence felt around the world. The stance of the self-sacrificing Kurdish woman, echoed in Kobanê through the reality of the Arîns, created a culture in which women would never bow to the enemy or the system of power. Her close relative Rêvan, whose real name was Medîne OSMAN, also carried out a self-sacrificing action against ISIS during the battle of Kobanê. Such exemplary stances pass as a culture from one generation to another in Kurdish society. Young Leyla likewise decided to join against the ISIS mentality that played a central role in enslaving women, and fought beside the freedom fighters in the trenches of resistance.
SHE FULFILLED HER CHILDHOOD DREAM BY COMING TO THE MOUNTAINS
Upon joining the ranks of freedom, Leyla became known among her comrades as Pelşîn. Through basic training, the freedom fighter Pelşîn Baz came to understand more deeply the reality of Leader APO and the stance of the free woman. She embodied within herself how a militant’s stance and standards should be built. She also trained professionally in combat tactics and methods. The young fighter then took her place in military units and, with the attacks on Efrîn, went to the battlefront. The reality of war in Efrîn and the occupation imposed upon it created great anger in her. To prevent that occupation, she joined the fighters in the forward trenches. After successfully fulfilling her task there, she went to Dêrezor and carried out various actions against the gangs. Through the occupation attacks she better understood the reality of an enemy that sustains itself at the expense of human values. She realized that the enemy’s occupation was not limited to one region; it was in fact conducting boundless attacks throughout Kurdistan, especially against the free mountains. Understanding this truth and following her childhood dreams, she turned toward the mountains of Kurdistan and joined the guerrilla.
As soon as the steel-hearted guerrilla reached the mountains, she transferred to the Martyr Delîl Region in western Zap. From the beginning of the war against the Turkish state, this region produced many self-sacrificing fighters and commanders. Those heroes fought every kind of attack with steely resolve in the resistance tunnels. Building on their experience, Pelşîn took her place in those tunnels and gained experience. Without allowing the hardships of the area to affect her, she shouldered historic duties with a responsible spirit and participated more actively in the resistance. She was later wounded in an action; once healed, she insisted on returning to battle. Giving a piece of one’s life for the homeland carries immense value. Pelşîn gave this reality still greater meaning and lived patriotic feelings from the heart. To the extent her strength allowed, she took part in actions and dealt heavy blows to the occupiers. In February 2025, the guerrilla Pelşîn Baz reached martyrdom in Zap with her comrades, commanders Sarya Qamişlo and Brûsk Şêrawa.
Apoist militant personalities like these heroes became unshakable symbols for all lovers of freedom, especially Kurdish society, and will always be remembered for their resistant stance.