There are some people who are very difficult to write about. One hesitates between writing or not writing, wondering whether the words will be sufficient to describe them, or whether they will cause a loss of meaning.
Some people are truly special. Even if they are modest, even if they do not see themselves as different from others, they are different, very different. To do them justice, one would need to be either a skilled biographer or a gifted literary writer. We are neither. That is why we say, “Not writing is impossible; let us tell as much as we can, even in a short piece.”
Nureddin Sofi was born in Rojava, the smallest part of Kurdistan. He spent his childhood and secondary education with his family. After being admitted to university, he left home to study. During his university years, he took an active role in the work of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). Yet after a while, the activities of the youth movement no longer satisfied him. He left school and joined the movement.
Nureddin Sofi was a hyperactive and highly intelligent person. He was extremely sensitive and curious toward his surroundings. Friendly, energetic, fond of reading and research, he had a lively and restless character. In these qualities, he could be described as belonging to the tradition of Kemal Pir. With his self-sacrifice, loyalty, and courage, he truly deserved to be of that school. Kemal Pir embodied an Apoist spirit lived to the marrow, representing a militantism that was unstoppable and knew no barriers.
Sofi also resembled Mazlum in another respect: a militant who loved to read, to research, and to be multifaceted. He was the kind of person who would say, “I do not know if I am suited to the PKK, but the PKK is exactly suited to me.” When he joined, he joined wholeheartedly, giving himself without limit.
This lively life and intense practice, filled with constant activity, did not stop Sofi from dedicating time to literature and poetry. His inner world was profoundly rich. At the same time, he was like an irrepressible child who never grew up. He was one of the rare people able to preserve the qualities of childhood, the purity and innocence of his inner world. He was remarkably humble; he regarded serving his comrades and his people as an act of devotion. Whenever he was called, wherever there was a need, he would rush without hesitation. Tireless and incorrigibly optimistic, he never refused.
With great enthusiasm and without hesitation, Nureddin Sofi devoted himself to the mountains. He truly became someone in love with the mountains. He spent his youth and the most dynamic years of his life there. He spoke the language of the mountains, moved like their winds. In a short time, he transformed both spiritually and physically into a mountaineer, further strengthening his attachment to freedom and to his people.
With his intelligence, dedication, and energy, he became both a skilled guerrilla and a commander. He was eventually appointed Commander-in-Chief of the People’s Defense Forces (HPG). For someone from the smallest part of Kurdistan to become the Commander-in-Chief of the HPG at such a young age was anything but ordinary.
Sofi succeeded in embodying fundamental human values and high morality. He would offer everything he had to his comrades without hesitation. He quickly integrated with the regions he visited and the communities he lived among, demonstrating extraordinary creativity and deep understanding. As was often said of him, “with the young he was young, with the elder he was elder.” Being with him made people feel safe. There was nothing he lacked; he always found a way, always brought together what was needed, always made it happen. He constantly thought of his comrades and those around him before thinking about himself, always watching over them.
Sofi possessed deep knowledge of history and a powerful ability to interpret events. He was not only strong in practice and in the military sphere, but also someone who constantly developed himself theoretically and ideologically. He placed great emphasis on uniting theory with practice, ensuring they complemented each other. His passion for philosophy should also not be overlooked.
We are speaking of a guerrilla, a commander, and a pioneer whose life was deeply intertwined with science, society, literature, and art, and whose inner world was immensely rich. From the peaks of the mountains to the plains of Rojava, he always carried the presence of an eagle soaring at great heights.
Nureddin Sofi was, in the truest sense, a people’s leader and a man of the people. Spiritually and intellectually, he never separated himself from them. He connected with them swiftly and wholeheartedly. He played a central role in the establishment of communes and assemblies, contributing to all the organizational structures that laid the foundation for the Autonomous Administration. He also assumed the highest responsibilities in military work.
He played a vital role in the defeat of ISIS and in the founding of the People’s Protection Units (YPG) and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). With the Rojava revolution, he became a unifying and enlightening revolutionary in the hearts of the people throughout all of Kurdistan, not only Rojava. He was truly the commander and the fighter of all Kurdistan.
Above all, he saw himself as a follower and devoted student of Abdullah Öcalan. He believed in Öcalan’s philosophy of women’s liberation and did his utmost to be a comrade to women within the movement.
To say that with Sofi’s martyrdom a star has fallen would not be accurate; rather, he will continue to live in the hearts and struggles of his grateful people and comrades. What falls upon us is to be worthy of Sofi.
Source: ANF News
