Zerga Cuneyd (1948-2024)
Renowned Kobanî figure Zerga Cuneyd became a symbol of Kurdish women's resistance worldwide when a poignant photograph of her lighting a cigarette as her Soviet assault rifle rested between her knees went viral worldwide, symbolic of her resilience and essence of Kurdish spirit.
Zerga Cuneyd in her local village of Berx Batan, Western Kurdistan.
Born in 1948 in the village of Berx Batan, 27 km south of the city of Kobanî (Rojava), Zerga Cuneyd was a mother to four martyrs and grandmother of two who bravely resisted ISIS until their deaths.
Zerga Cuneyd survived the Berx Batan massacre, in which ISIS militants killed 27 people in June 2015 as part of the broader Kobani massacre. After the killings, the resistance and victory of Kurdish women who fought against ISIS in Kobani became a powerful symbol of Kurdish women's defiance and bravery around the world.
Zerga passed away in August 2024, leaving a profound legacy of courage and defiance. She succumbed to a heart attack in the village of Berx Batan, where she drew her first breath.
Translated by Raz Xaidan
