Kurd female bomber was mother of two

(MENAFN- Arab News) ANKARA: A female Kurdish fighter who carried out the suicide bomb attack on Sunday against the Islamic State in Kobani was a mother of two London-based newspaper The Times reported on Tuesday.

Dilar Gnecxemis whom the media calls Arin Mirkan was a 20-year-old commander in the female wing of the People's Protection Unit (YPG) which is an offshoot of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). The PKK militia labeled a terrorist organization by the US and the EU has been operating in Turkey for more than three decades.

Mirkan reportedly ran out of ammunition during a gun battle with IS on a hill outside of Kobani prompting her to detonate a grenade as she ran toward IS militants. Mirkan's attack was the first reported instance of a female Kurdish fighter blowing herself up against the group a tactic usually used by extremist factions such as the IS or Syria's Jabhat Al-Nusra.

The news of the Mirkan suicide bomb attack took place on the same day as the reported suicide bombing of Ceylan Ozalp 19 also near Kobani. According to news reports Ozalp similarly ran out of ammunition and decided to spend her last bullet on killing herself instead of falling into the hands of the IS.

Ozalp more known her nom-de-guerre Diren appeared on a BBC News last month where she said: 'We're not scared of anythingWe'll fight to the last. We'd rather blow ourselves up than be captured by IS.'

'When they see a woman with a gun they're so afraid they begin to shake. They portray themselves as tough guys to the world. But when they see us with our guns they run away. They see a woman as just a small thing. But one of our women is worth a hundred of their men' Ozalp told the BBC.