An all-female Kurdish militia that led the fight against Islamic State (IS) is refusing to lay down its arms against pro-government forces in Syria.
The Women’s Protection Units (YPJ), which numbered 24,000 at the peak of its war against IS, has vowed to keep fighting despite a deal between the Kurds and forces loyal to President Ahmed al-Sharaa.
The YPJ’s struggle is more than territorial, and signifies a broader battle for Kurdish autonomy and women’s rights, they said.
Ruksen Mohammed, a spokeswoman for the YPJ, told The Telegraph in the de facto Kurdish capital Qamishli: “As a woman, why did I pick up a weapon?
“Because I see my society, my autonomy, my identity are under threat. Maybe I have a father, brothers, but I have to protect myself. Nobody else can do it for me.”
The YPJ – Yekîneyên Parastina Jin in Kurdish – was part of a Kurdish-led military alliance backed by the US and UK in the war against IS.
Its female fighters played a leading role as the Kurds seized former IS territory to establish an unrecognised political administration home to around four million people.
But since the start of the year, the new Syrian government has launched a devastating offensive that has seen the Kurds lose 80 per cent of their territory. They have been forced to accept a ceasefire and a seemingly unfavourable power-sharing agreement.
But Ms Mohammed said: “If it’s war, we’re always ready to fight, and defend our people. If it’s peace, if this agreement protects our rights and our people’s rights, we’re ready for this as well.”
The proposed deal should see Kurdish divisions retain some degree of autonomy as a counterweight against potential violations by pro-government forces.
But Damascus and Kurdish leaders appear to have different interpretations of a deal signed under pressure from Washington.
The YPJ is not mentioned in the ceasefire deal, but Ms Mohammed said her units would continue to exist as an autonomous armed group within the Kurdish divisions.
She noted that Mr al-Sharaa first entered Syria as a leader of Jabhat al-Nusra, an offshoot of al-Qaeda, clashing with the YPJ at the outset of Syria’s 14-year civil war.
Ms Mohammed said: “Our commanders and soldiers have played the largest role, in the war against IS, in the war against al-Nusra, on all frontlines. So we can’t accept an armed force without women.”
By contrast, Mr al-Sharaa’s government is ideologically opposed to women’s participation in the military, public and political life. It appears to be anticipating a more total transfer of power, with ethnic Kurds joining Damascus’s central armed forces on an individual basis.
In tense scenes on Monday, small numbers of Syrian government personnel entered the autonomous region. Shots were fired as Kurdish security forces clashed with pro-government groups, and members of the government convoy displayed the single-finger salute often associated with IS.
For now, members of the all-female fighting force continue to hold frontline positions in the tense stand-off with Mr al-Sharaa’s forces; patrol the streets of Kurdish cities, and secure IS detention facilities, including the camp home of former British schoolgirl Shamima Begum.
The US is currently flying IS detainees to neighbouring Iraq and appears to be readying for an exit from the region, opening the door for another government offensive, which would liquidate the Kurdish autonomous region altogether.
Ms Mohammed insisted: “Our relationship with the [US-led] Coalition was only ever tactical. We aren’t worrying about when or how they will leave, because we knew they only ever came here to fight IS.”
Regardless of whether the ceasefire deal will hold beyond the time it takes for the US to complete the transfer of the detainees, Ms Mohammed said her women’s units will keep control of their armoured vehicles and heavy weapons.
She described Mr al-Sharaa’s forces as an “existential” threat to the Kurdish women, who have not only established all-female fighting forces, but also sought to establish unique all-female political and civil society institutions throughout northern Syria.
She said: “When those jihadist criminals throw the body of a slain female fighter from the third floor of a building, they are demonstrating their hatred of women’s very existence. When they cut off the braid of a female fighter, they are trying to impose surrender on us and violate our honour.”
On Tuesday, pro-government forces are expected to enter Qamishli, where female Kurdish fighters remained at their posts, for now.
Ms Mohammed added: “The attacks may get intense, but they will only get to our land over our dead bodies. We’re surrounded, yes. But we are also prepared.”
