Report on Kurdish Women Fighting ISIS in Kobani, Syria

This TV report, aired on Alaan TV on November 5, 2014, is on Kurdish women fighting in Kobani, Syria, alongside their male counterparts. According to the report, many young women and men from Turkey have joined the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) in order to fight ISIS.

Following are excerpts:

Reporter: Her voice evokes defiance. This is a Kurdish fighter mourning her comrade-in-arms, who was killed in battle.

This is Ein Al-Arab, or Kobani. It has faced a vicious attack by ISIS since mid-September, but the fighters have not surrendered. This is how it looks from the outside – one explosion after the other. On one of the frontlines, Fawaz says that the Kurds are fighting for their land and their honor.

Male Kurdish fighter Fawaz: ISIS attacks on a daily basis, using heavy weapons of all kinds and suicide bombers. So far, we have managed to stop their progress. Our strongest weapon is our free and strong will. We are fighting for our land and our honor.

Reporter: These two fighters are preparing to go outside. In order to reach the other side, one has to watch out for the ISIS sniper who lies in wait.

How do the female fighters feel when they face ISIS on the frontline?

Female Kurdish fighter Shilan Siban: Now that I have taken up arms, I will not relinquish my right to face this organization. I want to always be at the head of my friends, and I am not afraid of this organization at all. We draw strength from the blood of our martyrs and our wounded.

Reporter: It is not only the Kurds of Syria fighting in Kobani. They have been joined by fighters from Turkey as well. With the recent arrival of peshmerga fighters from Iraqi Kurdistan, it seems that the battle of Kobani has united the Kurds, who are often divided by politics.

Male Kurdish fighter from Turkey: Naturally, many young women and men, like myself, have come from the Diyarbakir Province in Turkey in order to fight ISIS here. Despite this, I call upon the young people in my city to join the Kurdish People's Protection Units [YPG], in order to liberate Kobani and our regions from these criminal gangs.

Reporter: Outside, the sound of explosions never stops. Inside, the sound of music rises above it, even if only for a few moments.

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