The last ‘butterflies’ of the Kurdish front

An old Sufi parable of Persian origin tells of three butterflies approaching the flame of a candle: the first observes it, the second feels its heat, and the third is consumed in the fire. Only the last attains true knowledge. The women who inhabit the mountains of Kurdistan see themselves in that third butterfly. Fighters of the Kurdistan Free Life Party (PJAK) and members of the Women’s Defense Forces (HPJ), they live and train in caves and hidden bases as the situation in Iran worsens and sma...