Women's Protection Units

The Women's Protection Units (Kurdish: Yekîneyên Parastina Jinê), commonly known as the YPJ, are an armed group which was set up in 2012 as "the female brigade of the leftist YPG militia". The YPG/YPJ are "the armed wing of a Kurdish coalition that has taken de facto control over a sizable chunk of Syria's predominantly Kurdish north" (called Rojava).

The "all-female militia group grew out of the Kurdish resistance movement", and it "currently has over 7,000 (or 10,000, according to TeleSur) volunteer fighters between the ages of 18-40". They receive "no funding from the international community and the women are reliant on the Kurdish community for supplies and food". The YPJ has joined its brother organization, the YPG, in fighting against any group that has the intention of bringing the Syrian Civil War to Kurdish inhabited areas. It has come under increased attacks from ISIS militants in Syria and is "currently involved in the fight for the key border town of Kobane in Syria".

The group "played a critical role in rescuing the thousands of Yazidis trapped on Mount Sinjar by IS fighters" in August 2014. One fighter emphasized: "we need to control the area ourselves without depending on [the government]... They can't protect us from [ISIS], we have to protect ourselves [and] we defend everyone...no matter what race or religion they are".

The group had been praised by both socialist and non-socialist feminists for "confront[ing] traditional gender expectations in the region" and "redefining the role of women in conflict in the region". One YPJ leader said: "I don't want to get married or have children or be in the house all day... I want to be free".

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. They can be strong and be leader".

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