Women's Protection Units
Women's Protection Units | |
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Yekîneyên Parastina Jin (YPJ) | |
![]() YPJ flag
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Active | 2012–present |
Allegiance | Rojava, Syria[1] (Democratic Union Party) |
Branch | Female service units |
Type | Light infantry (militia) |
Size | 7,000[2]–10,000[3] |
Part of | Syrian Democratic Forces |
Engagements | Syrian Civil War |
Website | Official website |
Commanders | |
General Commander[4] | Nessrin Abdallah |
Kobanî commander[5] | Meryem Kobanî |
Aleppo commander [6] | Sewsen Bîrhat |
The Women's Protection Units or Women's Defense Units (Kurdish: Yekîneyên Parastina Jin, YPJ, pronounced Yuh-Pah-Juh[7]) is an all-female Kurdish military organization.
It was set up in 2012 as the female brigade of the People's Protection Units (Yekîneyên Parastina Gel, YPG) militia.[3] The YPJ and YPG are the armed wing of a Kurdish coalition that has taken de facto control over much of Syria's predominantly Kurdish north, Rojava.[3]
Contents
History
The organization grew out of the Kurdish resistance movement, and as of late 2014 it had over 7,000 (or 10,000, according to TeleSUR)[3] volunteer fighters between the ages of 18 and 40.[2]
The YPJ joined its brother organization, the YPG, in fighting against any groups that showed intentions of bringing the Syrian Civil War to Kurdish-inhabited areas. It has come under increased attacks from ISIL militants and was involved in the Siege of Kobanî.[2]
Foreign aid
They receive no funding from the international community and rely on the local communities for supplies and food.[2] However, the YPJ with YPG received 27 bundles totaling 24 tons of small arms and ammunition as well as 10 tons of medical supplies from the United States and Iraqi Kurdistan during the Siege of Kobanî.[8]
Military operations in Iraq
The group played a critical role in rescuing the thousands of Yazidis trapped on Mount Sinjar by ISIL fighters in August 2014. One fighter said: "We need to control the area ourselves without depending on [the government]... They can't protect us from [ISIL], we have to protect ourselves [and] we defend everyone ... no matter what race or religion they are."[9]
Ideology
The group had been praised by feminists for confronting traditional gender expectations in the region and redefining the role of women in conflict in the region.[2] According to photographer Erin Trieb, the YPJ is in itself a feminist movement, even if it is not their main mission. She asserted that "they want 'equality' between women and men, and a part of why they joined was to develop and advance the perceptions about women in their culture".[2]
Significance in Syrian civil war
Various Kurdish media agencies indicate that "YPJ troops have become vital in the battle against I.S." in Kobanî.[3] YPJ achievements in Rojava have attracted considerable international attention as a rare example of strong female achievement in a region in which women are heavily repressed.[10][11][12][13][14]
See also
- Feminism
- Kurdish women
- Kurdistan
- Rojava Revolution
- Sinjar Protection Units
- Women in warfare and the military (2000–present)
References
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External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to YPJ. |
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- Pages with reference errors
- Official website not in Wikidata
- Articles containing Kurdish-language text
- Commons category link is locally defined
- Pages with broken file links
- All-female military units and formations
- Anti-government factions of the Syrian Civil War
- Anti-ISIL factions in Syria
- Feminism in the Middle East
- Syrian Kurdish organisations
- Kurdistan Workers' Party
- Kurdish organisations
- Military wings of political parties
- National liberation armies
- Women in war
- People's Protection Units