M/S Female fighters from Kurdish Peoples Protection Unit (YPG) running in
single file
M/S Female and male YPG fighters crawling through tunnel
M/S Girl firing AK-47
SOT, Zaline, YPG fighter (Kurdish): "We carried our weapons and went to the
front to fight ISIS, our enemy. They fear our weapons and are shocked by
our strength. Life here is not ordinary, you do not find the lies, the
betrayal and the hypocrisy you find in a normal life. Here you find true
friendship. We want everyone to know that a woman is not different to a man
when it comes to defending her country. We ask women all over the world not
to underestimate themselves and believe that they are able to accomplish
anything."
C/U Female YPG fighter pointing weapon
M/S YPG fighter firing AK-47
SOT, Naline, YPG fighter (Kurdish): "I was a school student, every time I
went to school I felt fear, so I quit temporarily to defend my land and
country, to protect my friends from the fear that I felt and to help people
live in safety and security. I sacrificed my future to help build other's."
M/S Female YPG fighters talking
M/S Female YPG fighter holding AK-47
M/S Female YPG fighterS marching
W/S Female YPG fighterS marching
SCRIPT:
Kurdish women could be seen taking part in military drills close to Kobane,
Monday, after signing up to fight for the Kurdish Peoples' Protection Unit
(YPG) against the self-proclaimed Islamic State (IS, formally ISIS).
The young women, seen practising with AK-47s, said that they were motivated
to join the YPG to help repel IS advances in their hometowns. The female
YPG recruits also train alongside their male counterparts.
Some of the young women are taking temporary leave from school to join the
fight, with 19-year-old Naline, a new YPG recruit, stating "I sacrificed my
future to help build others'.'
The Terrorism Research and Analysis Consortium (TRAC) have reported that as
up to 35 percent of Kurdish troops in Northern Syria are women.
