Margaret George Shello

Margaret George Shello (Syriac: ܡܪܓܪܝܬ ܓܝܘܪܓܝܣ ܫܠܘ‎), also known as Margaret George Malik, was an Assyrian guerilla fighter who joined the Kurdish Peshmerga forces in their fight against the Iraqi governments in the 1960s.

Margaret joined the ranks of Peshmerga at the age of 20 in 1960, and quickly asserted herself among her male comrades and was given a leading position in important battles such as the battle of Zawita Valley - which began her legend.

Circumstances that lead to her early death are still disputed. Some believe that she was assassinated by the Kurdish leadership which feared her influence, while the Kurds maintain that she was murdered by a jealous lover after she rejected his marriage offer. After her assassination, many Kurds bestowed the revered title of Daya Kurdistan (Mother of Kurdistan) upon her as well as legendary tales of combat with her talisman as a symbol of the Kurdish resistance. Tales of her bravery echoed throughout Kurdistan, encouraging hundreds of men and women to join the resistance and carry-on the legacy she ignited.

A major motion picture entitled "Killing Margret" is currently being developed by Creative Producer & Screenwriter, George G. Edwards, Margaret's nephew, and is set to be released in 2017.