Syria: 800 Kurdish women fighters to join Interior Ministry
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Voice of America
Syria’s Women’s Protection Units (YPJ), the country’s Kurdish female force, says the Syrian Interior Ministry has agreed to integrate 800 of its fighters into two special battalions. The Syrian government has not yet confirmed the agreement, according to Voice of America.
Ruksen Mohamed, spokesperson for the Women’s Protection Units (YPJ), said on Thursday that Syria’s interim government had agreed to integrate 800 Kurdish women fighters into two special battalions under the Interior Ministry, according to Voice of America. The Syrian government has not confirmed the announcement.
The YPJ also submitted the names of nearly 1,500 other members to the Syrian authorities, with no response on their status, according to the Kurdish group. The YPJ had been an important component of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a US partner in the fight against Islamic State in Syria, before the announcement of the dissolution of the SDF in August 2026.
The status of Kurdish women fighters remains one of the main points of disagreement in negotiations that have been under way for more than a year between the Syrian authorities and Kurdish leaders over the integration of Kurdish-led forces and institutions into the Syrian state. The Syrian government has opposed their integration into the army, while showing greater openness to incorporating them into police forces and other local security structures, according to Voice of America.
Abdulhalim Sulaiman, a political observer based in Qamishli, believes discussions are continuing on the precise modalities for integrating the YPJ into Syria’s security structure, particularly in Kurdish regions. Gulistan Gulo, spokesperson for Star Congress, an organisation bringing together women’s associations in north-eastern Syria, warned that any marginalisation of the YPJ or removal of its military identity could pose a problem.
