Ahmed Hemin, a Kurdish volunteer from Kirkuk, who was killed on Jan. 27, 2026, near the Hasakah border in Rojava.
Statue to be built in Kirkuk honoring Kurdish volunteer killed in Rojava
KIRKUK — A statue will be erected in Kirkuk in honor of Ahmed Hemin, a Kurdish volunteer from the city who was killed in Rojava, northern Syria, Karim Alaka Foundation announced.
In a statement, the Sulaymaniyah-based foundation said the statue will be built “as a tribute to his resistance and sacrifice” and in recognition of Hemin as “the first martyr from southern Kurdistan in western Kurdistan (Rojava).”
Ahmed Hemin, a resident of Kirkuk, traveled voluntarily to Rojava after attacks by Syrian government forces and allied militias on the Kurds. He joined local volunteers to defend Kurdish areas and was killed on Jan. 27, 2026, near the Hasakah border.
As Syrian Islamist regime forces intensified attacks on Kurdish areas in northern Syria, Kurds around the world mobilized in what activists described as an unprecedented show of solidarity.
The foundation said the statue will be erected in Kirkuk, where it will be installed in a proper location “as a symbol of Kurdish unity.”
The body of Ahmed Hemin was laid to rest on Saturday at Rahimawa Cemetery in the city, amid a funeral attended by large crowds.
As his body was transported from Rojava to the Kurdistan Region, residents gathered along the route in several cities, including Zakho, Erbil and Kirkuk. Many stood holding Kurdistan flags to receive the coffin as it passed through their areas.
Syria’s government and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces reached a broad agreement Friday to gradually integrate Kurdish military and civil institutions into the state, after weeks of clashes that ended in a ceasefire.