The General Command of the People’s Protection Units (YPG) released a statement marking the fifth anniversary of the martyrdom of the vanguard commander of the Rojava Revolution, Martyr Nureddin Sofi.
The YPG General Command statement on Monday reads as follows:
“On April 6, 2021, our great commander Nureddin Sofi was martyred in the Garê region during an attack by the Turkish occupation state. We remember our leader and pioneer of the Rojava Revolution with the utmost reverence and gratitude, and we extend our deepest condolences first and foremost to his patriotic family and to the resilient people of Kurdistan.
Commander Nureddin was born in 1970 in the village of Mushirfa, near Qamishlo. For this reason, Rojava held a special place in his heart. His family was patriotic, deeply rooted in religious and moral traditions and culture. He became acquainted with the Apoists during his university studies in Aleppo and joined the Kurdish freedom movement in 1990. He fought for many years in the mountains of Kurdistan, participating in the Kurdish struggle in numerous regions, most notably Haftanin, Zagros, Qandil, Serhed, Amed, and Botan. With the outbreak of the Syrian Civil War in 2013, Commander Nureddin returned to Rojava and became a leading figure in the revolution. He possessed unparalleled experience gained from his years of struggle for the freedom of Kurdistan. Thanks to his military and political experience, he had a major role and contribution in developing the Rojava revolution and bringing it to where it is today
In recent years, Syria and the region as a whole have been heading toward profound change; this change could either lead the people to a free and democratic system or plunge them into an even deeper crisis. Syria, with its cosmopolitan (diverse) structure comprised of Kurdish, Arab, Syriac, Armenian, Turkmen, and Circassian communities, needed a new model and a new form of governance. The Rojava Revolution, declared on July 19, 2012, began building its system as a vanguard for freedom and democracy. It was not merely an alternative system in Syria, but one for the entire region in the face of the ongoing crisis. The Rojava Revolution became the common revolution of the people of Syria; it became the center of a people’s revolution against both reactionary regional states and jihadist groups.
The Rojava Revolution was born from nothing, thanks to the immense efforts and heroism of its martyrs, and the sacrifices of thousands of martyrs. Thanks to its great leaders, heroic fighters, and our self-sacrificing people, a new history has been written. Undoubtedly, one of the pioneers of our revolution is our comrade, the great leader Nureddin Sofi. Upon his arrival in Rojava, he led projects and activities in numerous fields. Leader Nureddin Sofi dedicated himself to establish and develop the People’s Protection Units (YPG) and the Women’s Protection Units (YPJ), and he successfully managed the work of building the commune system, institutions, and organizations in Rojava
Comrade Nureddin Sofi integrated the culture he inherited from his family with organizational culture, thus becoming a legendary leader and figure in the history of Kurdistan. In war, he was a multifaceted commander; his profound knowledge and unique experience endowed him with considerable tactical acumen. Even in the most difficult times, Comrade Sofi found solutions and was never without options or alternatives. He always listened to the opinions of his comrades and made his decisions accordingly. Comrade Nureddin Sofi was a Kurdish intellectual—concerned with knowledge and thought, striving to understand and analyze social, political, and cultural issues deeply—and he was clear and courageous in his decisions. Commander Nureddin Sofi was also a comrade of the free women’s movement; he never approached it from a traditional perspective, but rather embraced the path of women’s liberation on sound principles.
Comrade Sofi left a profound moral, organizational, military, and personal impact on all who knew him, from the older generation to the younger, from youth to the elderly. He also left us a great revolutionary legacy and path. Commander Nureddin Sofi struggled for 32 years for Kurdistan, spending the last eight of those years working in Rojava. He fought against all attacks and genocidal policies in all four parts of Kurdistan, thus inscribing his name in gold in the history of Kurdistan.
In the person of Commander Nureddin Sofi, we solemnly remember all the martyrs of the Kurdish revolution. We extend our deepest condolences to the family of Comrade Nureddin Sofi first and foremost, and to all our patriotic people. We pledge that we will continue on the path of our martyrs’ goals until victory.”
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