After 13 Years… struggle of YPJ enters new phase

The Women’s Protection Units (YPJ) are celebrating the thirteenth anniversary of their founding. Over the years of the Rojava Revolution, the echo of the units’ struggle has resonated regionally and globally, amid an ongoing process of organization and development that began in the early years of the revolution.

This year’s celebration comes at a time when the regions of North and East Syria are going through a phase of integration. The issue of women, especially the units, remains a central topic in this phase and is the subject of deep discussion. The units affirm that they will continue their efforts to defend the achievements of the women’s revolution and ensure women’s rights in the new Syria, while also striving to participate in this phase and join the structure of the new army.

establishment of the units

To understand the roots of this experience and its development, the Women’s Protection Units were officially established on April 4, 2013, after a large number of women and young women joined the ranks of the Community Protection Units (YXG), which began forming after the outbreak of the July 19 Revolution (2012) in Rojava.

Before the official announcement of the units’ establishment, the region witnessed, for the first time, women from various Syrian components joining the Community Protection Units in small groups. These women’s groups, led by Kurdish women, continued organizing themselves independently within these units. Their role was not limited to combat; they also began building their own organizational and ideological awareness within these formations.

As the number of women joining these groups increased, they took their first steps toward forming independent battalions in Jazira, Euphrates, and Afrin. The Martyr Roken Battalion, established on February 13, 2013, in Afrin, was the first women’s combat battalion. This was followed by successive formations: on March 9, 2013, the Adalat Battalion was formed in Qamishlo; in Kobani, the Martyr Dijla Battalion was established on March 24, 2013; later, the Martyr Zozan Battalion was formed in Derik, and the Barjam Battalion in Darbasiyah. These developments formed the first nucleus of an independent women’s military organization.

founding conference of the Women’s Protection Units (YPJ):

On April 2, 2013, the founding conference of the women of Rojava–Syria was held in the city of Derik. On April 4, the official establishment of the Women’s Protection Units was announced. This marked a transition from limited participation to the formation of an organized force carrying a social project alongside its military role.

objectives of the Women’s Protection Units (YPJ):

The Women’s Protection Units struggle based on the paradigm of a democratic, ecological society and women’s freedom. This vision holds that the liberation of society cannot be achieved without the liberation of women. The units adopt the principle of legitimate self-defense against all attacks targeting society and women, and they fight against the patriarchal, statist system entrenched for five thousand years, which has usurped social values.

The units also aim to build a decentralized, pluralistic democratic Syria. They strive to transform a military system rooted in authoritarian, male-dominated thinking, as well as its gendered, religious, nationalist, and scientistic structures. This goal extends beyond the military sphere to include transforming social mentality and strengthening women’s roles in all areas of life.

They also work to promote and generalize the principles of protection and support them across all aspects of life, which is a core objective of the units, including the criminalization of all forms of violence against women.

The human dimension within the units:

The experience of the Women’s Protection Units is not limited to military work; it includes a daily organizational life based on military training alongside intellectual and political education. Fighters live in an environment built on comradeship and collective work, contributing to the development of independent and active personalities among women and making this experience a social and personal transformation for many of them.

The units have also established academies combining ideological and military aspects, training their fighters in academic, technical, and tactical fields, as their activity is not limited to combat. Among these academies are the Martyr Shilan Academy in Afrin, the Martyr Dilan Academy, and the Martyr Jiyan Academy in Hasakah.

The struggle of the Women’s Protection Units has not been confined to Syria. They participated in defending Yazidi women during the ISIS attack on Sinjar on August 3, 2014. In addition, the units have gained a notable presence on the international stage through diplomatic efforts aimed at highlighting their cause and drawing global attention, especially among women to unity and solidarity around principles of peace-building in the region and the world. Their presence in international media has also presented a different image of women’s roles in conflict zones.

campaigns and security operations:

The Women’s Protection Units participated in a series of military campaigns within the Syrian Democratic Forces against ISIS, playing a prominent role in liberating large areas in North and East Syria.

These campaigns began in 2014 with the rescue of Yazidis in Sinjar and the securing of a humanitarian corridor, followed by the defense and liberation of Kobani. Operations expanded in 2015 and 2016 to include areas such as Tel Hamis, Tel Brak, Sarrin, al-Hol, al-Shaddadi, Manbij, and the Tishrin Dam.

The units also took part in the “Wrath of the Euphrates” campaign, which led to the liberation of Tabqa and Raqqa in 2017, culminating in the “Jazeera Storm” campaign, which ended in March 2019 with the defeat of the last ISIS strongholds in the region.

They also played a key role in pursuing ISIS sleeper cells and were at the forefront of security and stability operations launched by the Internal Security Forces of North and East Syria in cooperation with the Syrian Democratic Forces.

Additionally, they contributed to rescuing Yazidi women abducted by ISIS, returning them to their families through coordination with the Sinjar Resistance Units and the Yazidi Women’s Units.

pioneers of the units:

On May 28 and 29 each year, the anniversary is commemorated of the martyrdom of the first YPJ fighters, Berivan Nujiyan (Berivan Qalandar) and Slava (Maryam Mohammed), who were killed while resisting an attack by Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham on the villages of Sherawa in Afrin.

Fighters such as Rêvana Rojava, Arin Mirkan, Avesta Khabur, and Barin Kobani are remembered today as sacred symbols of the Women’s Protection Units, alongside thousands of other fighters who were martyred under its banner. Their sacrifices have become part of the collective memory of this experience.

violations against female fighters:

On January 6 of the current year (2026), factions affiliated with the Syrian Interim Government, supported by the Turkish state, launched an attack on regions of North and East Syria. During the attack, these factions committed violations against YPJ fighters, including cutting a fighter’s braid and capturing several others, whose fate remains unknown to this day.

current challenges:

The units point to ongoing security and political challenges, especially amid current transformations in Syria and discussions about the future of military forces. The issue of integrating the units into a new national military structure remains under debate.

toward the next phase:

The Women’s Protection Units affirm their continued commitment to defending women’s rights and the achievements of the revolution, while remaining open to any political process that ensures their participation in Syria’s future.

They emphasize that their 13-year experience represents a prominent model of women’s roles in military, social, and political spheres in the region, and they confirm the continuation of their struggle in the coming phase.

ANHA