With her Kalashnikov folded in half to stop it dragging on the ground and
ammunition strapped around her tiny waist, Zerya was 12 when she became a
Kurdish fighter in the Turkish mountains after running away from home.
Sixteen years later her body bears the scars of countless battles with Turkish
soldiers and her eyes are haunted by the memories of friends she has lost.
No longer a guerrilla for the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), she is trying
to fit back into society, using a mobile phone for the first time and
discovering treats such as ice cream and pizza that she never had in the
mountains.
Instead of studying, gossiping about boys and listening to pop music, Zerya
spent her teenage years fighting Turkish soldiers, living off scraps of food
and sleeping wherever she found shelter.
taught her that the problem can be solved only by
agreement between both sides
The PKK offered a new way for both sides to step away from confrontation
yesterday.
clipped from: www.timesonline.co.uk