Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) General Commander Mazloum Abdi spoke about Nureddin Sofi, the great commander of the Rojava Revolution who was martyred in a Turkish state airstrike on April 6, 2021. Abdi noted that Martyr Nureddin Sofi took part in many resistances in Rojava, including those in Afrin (Efrîn), Serêkaniyê (Ras al-Ain), and Girê Spî (Tal Abyad), and emphasized that one of the architects of the operation that killed ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was Nureddin Sofi.
Abdi said the martyrdom of Commander Nureddin Sofi was a great loss for them: “As his comrades-in-arms, as fellow fighters who waged a struggle together for 35 years, we will certainly be worthy of his memory. We will fight to the very end to ensure the success of the cause for which he struggled and to which he devoted his youth and his life.”
SDF General Commander Mazloum Abdi described Martyr Nureddin Sofi as follows:
“It is not easy to describe the struggle and work of Comrade Nureddin Sofi; it is difficult, and no matter how much we speak, we cannot do justice to this revolutionary, this militant, this leader of the Kurdish people. I knew Comrade Nureddin through our families. Our families had known each other for a long time, both through work and through patriotism. Even before joining the revolution and the political struggle, there were relations between our families, and it was through this that we became acquainted.
Comrade Nureddin came from a patriotic family who loved their homeland and upheld moral and religious values. His father was a sofi, devoted to religious values. The entire family, especially Comrade Nureddin’s father was held in great respect throughout society. Everyone treated him with reverence. They lived in a village surrounded by Arab villages. They were committed to national values and Kurdish identity, while also maintaining good relations with the Arab people.
Comrade Nureddin grew up in such an environment. The qualities he inherited from his family also influenced his revolutionary life. In his revolutionary journey, he often spoke about how his family had shaped him.
Later, during our school years, we came to know each other more closely. We were together at the University of Aleppo for a time. We studied together for a while, while also engaging in political work. Comrade Nureddin was in the Faculty of Physics and Mathematics. He was a hardworking student, and before long, he became known among Kurdish students.
At that time, our political and revolutionary movement had reached a certain stage; we had many supporters at the university. Comrade Nureddin played a leading role among the students. For a long period, he carried out youth work, taking part in many actions, from organizing Newroz celebrations and marches to other social activities and events and always in a leading role. He both organized and mobilized young people, building very strong relations with the community. In a short time, many students gathered around him. At university, he became known as both a political activist and a student. Some of his revolutionary traits were formed during this period. Alongside political matters, he also carried out work related to Kurdish culture during that time.
We proposed his participation in the Rojava Revolution
The work he carried out at the University of Aleppo was no longer enough for him. He then went into the neighborhoods of Aleppo, to Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafiyah, and carried out work there as well. For a period, he would also travel back and forth to Afrin to work.
After that, he decided to devote himself entirely to the revolution. I believe it was in late 1990 when he made this decision. In 1991, we worked together in press activities, as Comrade Nureddin’s Arabic was also very good. At that time, we had a political magazine called Dengê Kurdistan [Voice of Kurdistan], which was published in Arabic. When the comrades suggested it, Comrade Nureddin joined this work.
I believe he worked in this field for about a year, playing an important role and making significant contributions. As far as I remember, he also took part in writing a few political books in Arabic about the revolution. He was involved in the work of Dengê Kurdistan magazine, sometimes writing articles, sometimes translating them.
Anyone who knew Comrade Nureddin will remember that he was constantly reading and was deeply interested in literature and science. Within our movement, he was known as an intellectual revolutionary. He played an active role in education. While in Rojava, he very much wanted to write the novel of the Rojava Revolution. He even worked on it, and I believe he may have had prepared writings for this purpose.
There was a period when we lost contact and were in different places. However, in 2013, when the Rojava Revolution reached a strong stage, there was a need for leading figures in Rojava, people with military and organizational experience. One of those experienced comrades was Nureddin Sofi. At that time, however, he had not yet joined the Rojava Revolution. We made a request for his presence; we invited him to join the Rojava Revolution. He was someone who could provide leadership in both the social and military spheres.
Therefore, as comrades working in Rojava, we proposed that he come. He accepted, and in 2013 he joined the Rojava Revolution. Before that, he had been living in the mountains, carrying out work in another area, like many young people from Rojava who worked elsewhere. Upon our request, he did not refuse us and joined the work in Rojava. From 2013 until the day he was martyred, he played a leading role in all areas of the Rojava Revolution.
When he arrived in Rojava, he first took part in political and organizational work. Although he came from a military background, he also played an important role in political, organizational, and social activities. He played a leading role in organizing the community, in developing the Autonomous Administration, in the self-defense forces, and in the formation of many institutions. He was closely involved in the development of the Asayish (Internal Security Forces).
Our people trusted Comrade Nureddin until the very end
The developments that took place in Rojava in 2013, 2014, and 2015 were the stage of establishing our social system. In this process, Comrade Nureddin had a leading role. In this period, he also played a role in enabling the Arab, Syriac, and Kurdish peoples to find a place for themselves within the system. He was concerned with resolving the problems of the peoples. Our people trusted Comrade Nureddin until the very end. For this reason, they would come to him to solve their problems.
It was not only his comrades who trusted him; the people also trusted him greatly. He, in turn, responded to the people many times by producing solutions. He was also a reliable person among his comrades. One of the reasons for his success in his work was that he acted together with his comrades. In all of our work in Rojava, Comrade Nureddin’s influence was present.
With the growth of our war against ISIS, due to military needs, he joined our military work at the end of 2016 and the beginning of 2017. He played a major role in the offensives we carried out against ISIS.
For example, in the campaign to liberate Raqqa, Comrade Nureddin’s role was decisive. The campaign to liberate Raqqa was difficult; it was ISIS’ last fortress, its capital. ISIS had taken many measures. They had planted mines all around Raqqa and had decided not to leave the city.
This was one of the most difficult offensives carried out against ISIS. In the conduct of the offensive, Comrade Nureddin was present; he went after ISIS persistently and determinedly. He played a leading role in the battle to liberate Raqqa. When the fighting reached a deadlock, he would always find a solution and insist on overcoming the deadlock.
In Raqqa city center, he proposed, “Let us open a way for some ISIS mercenaries to leave so that Raqqa does not suffer further destruction.” There too, Comrade Nureddin had a leading role. Most importantly, in the war to completely eliminate ISIS, in the battles of Baghouz (Baxoz) and Deir ez-Zor (Dêrazor), Comrade Nureddin was the commander.
In Baghouz, the final blow dealt to ISIS bore Comrade Nureddin’s signature, because, as I said, he was commanding the battle. He did not join the war against ISIS at the beginning, but in the middle; however, especially in the most important battles such as Raqqa and Deir ez-Zor, he played a very strong role. This was due to his war experience.
He had a role in the operation against Baghdadi
I am saying this for the first time: in the matter of the killing of Baghdadi, in the operation carried out against Baghdadi, Comrade Nureddin had a role. There was information about where Baghdadi was, but while some of our comrades believed this information, others did not. There were doubts about how accurate it was.
However, the one who believed the most, who followed it, and who uncovered it step by step, was Comrade Nureddin. He said, “This information is correct; we must take it seriously.” He followed it himself and later confirmed that the information was accurate.
He also played a strong role in ensuring that there was a joint decision, both by the SDF and the Coalition to carry out the operation against Baghdadi. He was one of the actors in the success of the operation. Comrade Nureddin was the architect of the successful operation against Baghdadi, because he insisted on it and followed it closely.
In the war in Afrin, in the Afrin resistance, and in the resistances of Serêkaniyê and Girê Spî, Comrade Nureddin also had a major role. He was already in Afrin. When the war in Afrin began, he carried out the resistance for a long time. He also took part in the other resistances.
We went through very difficult processes, but Comrade Nureddin was always in the fields of resistance. In general, I can say this: in the war waged by the SDF against ISIS, and later in the resistances of Afrin, Serêkaniyê and Girê Spî, Comrade Nureddin had a very great influence. As a commander, he took part both in organizing these wars and in leading them, and he carried them out.
Our people and all components living in North and East Syria are grateful to Comrade Nureddin for their liberation from ISIS terror.
The martyrdom of Comrade Nureddin was untimely. During a period when he was visiting Southern Kurdistan (Bashur) for certain work, we received the news of his martyrdom. He was martyred there in an airstrike by the Turkish state. For many reasons, his martyrdom was not announced until now. It was deemed appropriate to announce it now to the Kurdish people and the public.
Of course, the martyrdom of Comrade Nureddin is, above all, a very great loss for us. It is a great loss for all Kurdish movements in Rojava and for all components of Syria. Naturally, this will have an impact; but as his comrades-in-arms, as fellow fighters who waged a struggle together for 35 years, we will certainly be worthy of his memory.
We will fight to the very end to ensure the success of the cause for which he struggled, and to which he devoted his youth and his life.’’