JINHA

MÊRDÎN - Tens of thousands of people bid farewell to YPJ fighter Kesra Kayran in a funeral in her native district of Nusaybin, in Mardin province.

YPJ (Women's Protection Units) fighter Kesra Kayran (nom de guerre Zilan İntikam) lost her life in a clash with Daesh gangs in Rojava (West Kurdistan). Thousands joined to lay her to rest in Nusaybin district of Mardin province yesterday. Kesra's body was first brought to her house, where her relatives mourned her with laments. The funeral procession headed through Newroz square. Women bore the coffin on the march to the graveyard.

Tens of thousands of people, including women's movement activists and Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) officials, joined the funeral ceremony. Local shopkeepers closed their shops and joined the crowd, who bore the flags of the YPJ and PKK alongside photos of PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan and Kesra herself.

"Three of my brothers and sisters lost their lives in this struggle for freedom," said Ali Kayran, Kesra's elder brother. He noted that she had fought in all four parts of Kurdistan. "Comrade Zilan was young, but her struggle was great, and older".

The funeral ceremony ended amid slogans of "martyrs do not die".

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