Newroz celebrations are taking place all over Kurdistan, including in the guerrilla-held Medya Defense Zones in southern Kurdistan (northern Iraq). The celebrations by the guerrillas are a special sign of strength, as the areas are under constant attack from Turkey. In the Bradost region in southern Kurdistan, guerrillas from the HPG (People’s Defense Forces) and YJA Star (Free Women’s Troops) celebrated Newroz.

In Bradost, guerrilla units came together, lit a Newroz bonfire and held a military ceremony. The ceremony opened with a speech by one of the commanders of the YJA Star. She recalled the prison resistance and congratulated the guerrillas and the Kurdish people as well as all humanity on the Newroz festival. Referring to the Newroz legend of Kawa the blacksmith who killed the tyrant Dehaq, the commander said that the resistance in the mountains had grown in the spirit of the Kawas and Mazlums, vowing that they would fight for and ensure the freedom of Abdullah Öcalan. At the same time, she commemorated the martyrs and announced that the resistance would expand even further in 2024. The guerrillas paid tribute to the martyrs and shouted slogans such as “Bijî Serok Apo” [Long Live Leader Öcalan] and “Jin, Jiyan, Azadî” [Woman, Life, Freedom].

Afterwards, the guerrillas lit a Newroz bonfire and danced to revolutionary songs. Guerrilla fighters Roza and Dîrok Cûdî spoke to ANF and said: “As guerrillas of the YJA Star, we see our values here. Because it is Rêber Apo [Leader Abdullah Öcalan] who made this day great and meaningful. For this reason, the responsibility weighs all the heavier for us.”

Guerrilla fighters Şervan and Rojhat said that they would never let the fire that Kawa the blacksmith lit go out. They stressed that their fight would continue until victory. The celebration around the fire continued into the night.