Women's Protection Units

Women's Protection Units
Yekîneyên Parastina Jin (YPJ)
YPJ flag
Active	2012–present
Allegiance	Rojava, Syria (Democratic Union Party)
Branch	Female service units
Type	Light infantry (militia)
Size	7,000–10,000
Part of	Syrian Democratic Forces
Engagements	Syrian Civil War Rojava conflict Battle of Aleppo Battle of Ras al-Ayn Kurdish–Islamist conflict Siege of Kobanî Al-Hasakah offensive Battle of Sarrin Battle of Sarrin (March–April 2015) Battle of Sarrin (June–July 2015) Tell Abyad campaign Battle of Al-Hasakah Al-Hawl offensive Al-Shaddadi offensive Tishrin Dam offensive Al-Shaddadi offensive (2016) Iraqi Civil War (2014–present) December 2014 Sinjar offensive November 2015 Sinjar offensive
Website	Official website
Commanders
General Commander	Nessrin Abdallah
Kobanî commander	Meryem Kobanî
Aleppo commander	Sewsen Bîrhat

The Women's Protection Units or Women's Defense Units (Kurdish: Yekîneyên Parastina Jin‎, YPJ, pronounced Yuh-Pah-Juh) 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. 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.

History

Member of the YPJ with a standard uniform

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) volunteer fighters between the ages of 18 and 40.

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.

Foreign aid

They receive no funding from the international community and rely on the local communities for supplies and food. 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.

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."

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. 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".

Significance in Syrian civil war

Various Kurdish media agencies indicate that "YPJ troops have become vital in the battle against I.S." in Kobanî. 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.

See also

• Feminism
• Kurdish women
• Kurdistan
• Rojava Revolution
• Sinjar Protection Units
• Women in warfare and the military (2000–present)