MÊRDÎN - Emine Aydoğan, the mother of YPG fighter Dijwar Aydoğan, who lost his life in clashes in Efrîn in 2019 and whose body was never returned to his family, said: “I have been searching for my son’s body for seven years. All I want is for my son to have a grave. Before I die, I want to embrace the soil where he rests.”

 

Dijwar Aydoğan (Rênas), a YPG fighter, lost his life during the 2019 attacks launched by Turkey and Turkish-backed paramilitary groups on the city of Efrîn (Afrin) in North and East Syria. Seven years later, his body has still not been returned to his family. The Aydoğan family, who live in the rural Barman neighborhood of Stewrê (Savur) district in Mêrdîn, have spent years waiting for their son’s body to be returned. Meanwhile, they received a second notice from the Artuklu Social Security Center Directorate informing them that TL 80,333 in General Health Insurance (GHI) premium debt had been issued in Dijwar Aydoğan’s name. The notice stated that the debt had been assessed as of May 20, 2026. Following the notice, the Aydoğan family paid the amount demanded but called on the authorities to reveal the fate of their son, whose body has still not been returned despite issuing the debt in his name. Since Aydoğan’s death has not been officially recorded, his family called for his body, which they have been searching for over the past seven years, to be returned to them. 

 

‘HE WAS A VERY CALM AND HELPFUL SON’

 

Stating that she has been waiting for her son’s body to be returned for seven years, Emine Aydoğan said: “My son was a very kind person at home. He was always willing to help with household chores. He never left us without support. He helped both us and his friends. He never harmed anyone. He was a very calm young man. My son lost his life in the cause of a righteous struggle. Even today, there are still people whose bodies, let alone their bones, have never been found. Our villages were burned and emptied. The mothers suffered great pain. That is why I have never regretted my son’s struggle.”

 

‘I STILL HAVEN’T SOLD DIJWAR’S SHEEP’

 

Saying that she has carefully looked after the sheep her son used to care for over the past seven years, Emine Aydoğan said: “I was ill. One of my other sons was imprisoned in 2016 for sharing his brother’s photograph, and another was serving in the military. That made it very difficult for me to take care of the animals. Their father came and said, ‘I’m going to sell the sheep.’ I didn’t let him. I said, ‘These are Dijwar’s sheep.’ I still haven’t sold them. I take care of them because they still carry my son’s scent. They have become my comfort.”

 

‘NO BODY, NO GRAVE, NO CONDOLENCES’

 

Emine Aydoğan said she learned of her son’s death from television and added: “After he left in 2014, we spoke from time to time over the next six years. However, for the past six or seven years, I have neither seen nor spoken to him. I learned of his death on the television. They showed his photograph and announced his name. I immediately asked for his body, but it was never returned to me. I don’t even know where his body is now. He lost his life in an airstrike during the bombardment in Efrîn. They did not even allow us to express our condolences. So we received condolences at home. There was no body, no grave. As a mother, I suffered greatly.”

 

‘I GO TO THE CEMETERY EVERY DAY’

 

Saying that she has been struggling for years for her son to have a grave, Emine Aydoğan continued: “Everyone who lost their life in the Kurdish freedom struggle is my child, just as my own son is. Likewise, my son is also the son of other mothers. All I want is for my son to have a grave. I go to the cemetery every day. My son has no grave, but his friends do. I take comfort in them. Even so, I wish my son had a grave of his own. My son spent years herding sheep in these mountains. Everywhere I look, I can still sense him. That’s why I take care of his sheep and find comfort in them. I hope that one day my son’s grave will be found. Before I die, I want to visit his grave, embrace the soil where he rests, and feel his scent in that soil.”

 

MA / Haşim Abak