YPJ safeguard achievements of women's revolution

With the outbreak of the Rojava Revolution in 2012, Kurdish women began taking up arms to confront attacks by mercenary groups. On April 2, 2013, they held their founding conference, and on April 4, the establishment of the Women's Protection Units (YPJ) was officially announced.

The YPJ soon became a symbol and an identity for women and young women wishing to join its ranks. One year after the beginning of the Rojava Revolution, regional powers foremost among them Turkey worked to support and organize mercenary gangs aimed at attacking and eliminating the revolution.

“Female fighters organized themselves”

Amid the political crisis in Syria, and as the Kurdish people of Rojava defended their regions, women fighters organized themselves and formed their own military units and battalions.

On February 13, 2013, the first battalion was established in the Afrin region and was named after the martyr Rojin (Ruken).

On February 25, the Martyr Zozan Battalion was founded in Derik, along with the Martyr Berjim Battalion in Tirbespiyê. On March 8, 2013, the Martyr Adala Battalion was announced in Qamishlo, followed on March 24 by the Martyr Dijla Battalion in Kobani.

“The fighters fought without accepting surrender”

In 2013, the martyrs Roxan Afrin and Jinda played a leading role in promoting a culture of resistance and non-surrender. They sacrificed their lives to prevent the region from falling at the hands of Jabhet al-Nusra mercenaries (currently known as Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham).

During the Kobani Resistance in 2014, YPJ fighters demonstrated the highest levels of loyalty to the Kurdish people through their steadfast defense of the city. Hundreds were killed or wounded without retreating from the frontlines. At a critical moment when Kobani was on the verge of falling, fighter Evar Afrin entered the battlefield and insisted on returning to the front even after being wounded. She ultimately sacrificed her life to prevent the city from being captured by ISIS mercenaries. Leaders and fighters such as Hebûn Derik and Sterk Hekarî followed her path, further entrenching the culture of resistance and refusal to surrender.

“Documenting the resistance of YPJ”

The YPJ entered its first battles in 2013 in Serêkaniyê city/ Ras al Ain, fighting against the Free Syrian Army and ISIS/Daesh mercenaries. By the end of that year and the beginning of 2014, the force participated in campaigns to liberate the regions of Tel Hamis and Tel Tamer from ISIS control.

On August 3, 2014, YPJ fighters headed to Shengal to open a safe humanitarian corridor and protect the Yazidi population from massacres. On July 15 of the same year, female fighters in Kobani made one of the most remarkable chapters of resistance. Since then, every woman fighting and resisting ISIS has been associated with the ranks of the Women's Protection Units.

On February 16, 2016, the YPJ played a prominent role in the Khabur Wrath Campaign, during which a large number of women abducted by ISIS were liberated. The force also participated in operations that liberated Tabqa, Raqqa, Deir ez-Zor, and Manbij from ISIS occupation.

On January 20, 2018, when the Turkish state and its allied mercenary gangs  launched attacks on Afrin, YPJ fighters took up positions on the defense lines and engaged in a resistance campaign that lasted 58 days. On October 9, 2019, they continued their resistance in Serêkaniyê and Girê Spî (Tal Abyad) against Turkish forces and their allies. The fighters continued fighting without retreat until the moment of their deaths. Among them was the martyr Amara, who, along with several of her comrades, refused to surrender and remained steadfast until the end.

On January 17, 2025, in Tabqa, Raqqa, and Deir ez-Zor, YPJ fighters confronted attacks by factions affiliated with Syria’s Interim Government and mercenaries backed by the Turkish state. Fighter Kojrin and members of her battalion mounted fierce resistance and were ultimately killed without retreating.

1,002 female fighters martyred since 2012

The Women's Protection Units participated in defending various areas of Rojava, North and East Syria, and the neighborhoods of Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafiyah in Aleppo against attacks targeting the region. Since the beginning of the Rojava Revolution, between 2012 and 2026, the number of YPJ martyrs has reached 1,002 fighters.

“Arab women joined the ranks of the units”

In 2013, Arab women began joining the Women's Protection Units. Their participation increased particularly after the liberation of Tabqa, Raqqa, Deir ez-Zor, Manbij, and al-Shaddadi from ISIS control. After becoming acquainted with the experience of the women fighters, they decided to engage in the struggle against patriarchy within their own communities. They took up arms and participated in combat in what was described as a strategic and transformative step. Many Arab female fighters felt they had broken free from deeply rooted constraints and found in this involvement an opportunity to escape the social pressures imposed upon them.

Among them was fighter Roxan Deir ez-Zor (Sara Kabir), originally from Deir ez-Zor, who joined the YPJ from Qamishlo in 2014 and was martyred later that same year.

For many years, the YPJ remained a major force in the fight against ISIS. Through their courage, its fighters became a symbol and a source of hope for women around the world. Preserving and sustaining this hope remains essential, and the Women's Protection Units continue to carry the responsibility of safeguarding the culture of resistance. Maintaining their existence is regarded as fundamental.

Securing constitutional recognition for the Women's Protection Units

Syria’s Interim Government does not recognize the existence of the Women's Protection Units (YPJ) or women’s movements and organizations. During attacks targeting Manbij, al-Shahba, Sheikh Maqsoud, Ashrafiyah, Tabqa, Raqqa, and Deir ez-Zor, these forces sought to undermine the dignity of YPJ fighters. However, the fighters’ continued resistance disrupted and thwarted those efforts, despite ongoing attempts to break their will.

In the current context, the Ministry of Defense, as part of the implementation of the 29 January Agreement, has introduced a provision calling for the dissolution of the Women's Protection Units and the termination of their existence. In response, the YPJ announced at the beginning of the agreement’s implementation that it wished to integrate into the Ministry of Defense. At the same time, women’s movements and organizations launched the campaign “We Are All YPJ, YPJ Represents Us” in support of the force, alongside organizing solidarity activities and events.

ANHA