Meriem Bouatoura

Meriem Bouatoura was born in N'Gaous (Batna province) and studied in Sétif. Joining the ALN in 1956 as a field nurse in the Aurès mountains, her extraordinary courage, sharpshooting accuracy, and tactical daring led commander Zighoud Youcef's successor to transfer her to the clandestine urban commando groups in Constantine.

Operating under the code-name 'Yasmina', she executed high-risk missions against colonial military posts. On June 8, 1960, her safehouse in the center of Constantine was surrounded by hundreds of French paratroopers. Refusing to surrender, she engaged in a fierce eight-hour gun battle with her submachine gun until colonial forces dynamited the building, killing her at age 22.