Among the women peshmerga as they are known – and which in Kurdish means “Those who face death” – are three young women, Sayda, Gilara and Serbeexoy, the latter’s name meaning “independent” or “freedom” in Kurdish. Once in the mountains of northern Iraq, Gilera, like other recruits from the Iranian Kurdish community, would be trained as a fighter. “They are already in the process of collapse, only parts of the regime are working,” she insists. “We have got allies, and we have units inside Iranian cities, Kurdish Iranian cities. But speaking to these women and others, it becomes apparent that the Kurds’ dreams of independence remain undiminished and as incandescent as ever.

Source: The Herald April 05, 2026 12:51 UTC