Since 6 January 2026, armed groups affiliated with Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham and the Turkish occupying state have been launching attacks against the Women’s Revolution in North and East Syria. Following the massacres committed in the Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh neighborhoods of Aleppo, these factions have carried out further massacres in cities such as Raqqa, Tabqa, al-Shaddadi, Ain Issa, and the countryside of Kobani. These attacks have targeted women—especially the women of North and East Syria who have struggled for decades for a democratic and communal life. The most horrific crimes have been committed against women fighters within the ranks of the struggle.
In their attempt to revive ISIS in the region, they have sought to distort the image of women—particularly women fighters—and to sow division among peoples. They even cut the braid of a Kurdish woman fighter, claiming that this braid would spread fear and anxiety within the struggle for women’s freedom. But they failed to understand that women across Kurdistan are stronger than ever in the face of such atrocities. They are fighting these merciless gangs on the front lines in defense of human dignity and honor, just as they once fought against the brutal gangs of ISIS for the sake of freedom.
Our anger and deep loathing toward the mentality that denies the very existence of women continue to grow. Therefore, as the Women’s Protection Units, we are taking our place on all fronts of resistance. We are fighting to protect our existence and responding forcefully to these barbaric gangs.
The Women’s Revolution in Rojava Kurdistan embodies the foundation of a democratic life for all peoples. It has been built with the blood of 15,000 women martyrs, and thousands of fallen women have led this struggle. Today, with the same determination to protect their honor and dignity, women under the banner of the Women’s Protection Units are leading the way in defending the values of communal life that are being destroyed around women, by joining the movement of women from across the entire region.
We renew our commitment to struggle and resistance, and we say it clearly: let friend and foe alike know that this revolution—led by women and strengthened by the heroism of young people struggling for women’s freedom—will raise the call of freedom on this land with greater determination, will, and struggle than ever before. Just as it defeated the genocidal ideology of Daesh (ISIS) in Kobani, it will plant the seeds of communal life in this land once again.
Therefore, we say that our braided hair has become a source of fear in the hearts of our enemies, because victory will inevitably belong to women and freedom-loving peoples. From this standpoint, we call on Kurdish women, all women of the Middle East, and women around the world striving for freedom to participate more strongly in the mobilization inspired by the philosophy of Leader Abdullah Öcalan: “Woman, Life, Freedom.”
Every woman whose heart beats for freedom must know that the Rojava Revolution is a guarantee for the freedom of all women. Today, not only Rojava Kurdistan and all its components, but also the peoples of all four parts of Kurdistan, are facing a horrific genocide. We call on all women to join the mobilization in the spirit of Kobani and to defend their dignity based on the principle of the existence of women and peoples.
Let our people know that we will never bow to the jihadist ISIS mentality and will never surrender. For us as women fighters of this people, nothing is more important than protecting the existence of the Kurdish people and all its components. Our hopes are as strong as the number of our braids. No one can erase us by cutting a braid, and our hopes will not vanish under the attacks of colonialists and genocidal forces. For this reason, none of the inhumane acts committed against our women fighters will go unpunished.
General Command of the Women’s Protection Units (YPJ)
22/01/2026
