Unbreakable resilience: story of Kobani’s women in ISIS confrontation  

On September 15, 2014, ISIS mercenaries imposed a suffocating siege on Kobani and launched a large-scale military offensive aimed at capturing the city. During the battle, women played a central role in resisting the attack. Their involvement went beyond carrying weapons and fighting, as they became part of a broader popular resistance effort.

Female fighters engaged in direct clashes across various fronts and defended neighborhoods and streets house by house. Their presence on the battlefield became a powerful symbol of resistance, particularly against militants whose ideology sought to undermine women’s status and role. Images of the female fighters soon became an international symbol of resistance, while the deaths of many of them strengthened morale and reinforced the idea that defending one’s land and community is a responsibility shared by both men and women.

Women also took part in operations to seize back positions controlled by ISIS and helped repel attacks, including suicide attacks. Behind the front lines, large numbers of women worked to manage daily life in the besieged city, provide essential supplies, and organize community affairs, helping maintain civilian resilience throughout the siege.

Adla Bakr, one of the prominent women who participated in the Kobani resistance, recalls that September was a month of struggle and resistance in which the people organized themselves. She says that various armed factions had attempted to attack the city, eventually including ISIS, and alleges that Turkey was the main supporter of these groups, with attacks on Kobani and Rojava being organized from areas such as Antep and Urfa.

She recalls that the attackers committed massacres, killed civilians, and displaced residents, but that the population remained steadfast. Following prolonged resistance by the People's Protection Units (YPG) and Women's Protection Units (YPJ), members of the International Coalition intervened to support the fighters. According to Bakr, the fighters had limited weaponry, relying largely on their determination, Kalashnikov rifles, and hand grenades.

Bakr says the attackers launched assaults from multiple directions beginning September 15, using large numbers of fighters and substantial military equipment. She alleges that Turkey supplied them with weapons, ammunition, and logistical support through the Tal Abyad and Jarabulus crossings, seeking to capture Kobani and eliminate the presence of its Kurdish population.

She emphasizes that the resistance of the YPJ, together with its fighting spirit, helped thwart the attackers’ plans, describing the YPJ as a key force alongside the YPG and local residents on the various fronts.

Women also played a vital role behind the lines. Bakr recalls that they organized communal kitchens despite shortages of supplies and electricity, baked bread, prepared meals, and delivered food to fighters in trenches under bombardment. Nurses and volunteers worked in field medical posts, providing first aid, transporting the wounded, and caring for the injured under extremely difficult conditions and with severe shortages of medicine. They also participated in funerals for those killed.

Bakr highlights the support provided by residents of Northern Kurdistan, describing them as among the most important supporters of Kobani and its people, particularly when they opened their homes to displaced residents.

She stresses that women’s presence throughout every aspect of the resistance demonstrated that the battle belonged to everyone. Their participation helped break the atmosphere of fear, strengthen morale, and encourage continued resistance.

According to Bakr, the Kobani experience demonstrated that women could simultaneously carry weapons, defend their communities, and assume social responsibilities. Women provided medical care and looked after the wounded while also carrying weapons and taking turns protecting their comrades amid freezing winter conditions, hunger, and heavy bombardment.

Bakr says women’s role was not merely secondary or supportive but leading, turning Kobani’s women into a model of female fighters, medics, cooks, organizers, and decision-makers. “We refused to surrender and embraced a spirit of sacrifice. With our braids and ululations, we created victory,” she says.

She concludes by stressing that every corner of Kobani carries the memory of those killed in the resistance. “No one can take away our language, identity, or cause. We will resist and prevail with the spirit of the Women's Protection Units and the fallen fighters of Kobani.”

ANHA