There are many people who wants to join the YPG in Syria and the Kurds in Iraq. I have met some of them during my latest reporting trip in Rojava at the end of November. Most of them just wanted to go and fight the Daash (the Islamic State) others, mainly veterans, decided to leave their life behind also because they didn’t fit into civilian life. “Nothing makes sense,” said Jordan Matson, a former US army soldier.
I went to Rojava, Syria, where I was able to meet with YPG (People’s Defense Unit) and YPJ (Women’s Defense Unit) and understand better about their fight against the Islamic State.
A version of this article was published by Reuters Foundation and you can find it here.
TIL KOCHER (Syria) – A Makarov, a semi-automatic Russian pistol, is hanging next to a blue flower clock on an empty wall mounted coat rack. Her owner left it there for the night while sleeping in the one bedroom apartment on the second floor of an empty building in Til-Kocher, on the Syrian border with Iraq. Til-Kocher is one of the most strategic bases for the YPG, the Kurdish People Protection’s Army, in their war against ISIS.
Arin, a 27 years-old woman from Germany, was awarded the gun when she got twenty confirmed ISIS kills. That was months ago. Now, her Havel (Comrades and friends in Kurdish) claim she is one of the most dangerous snipers in the war against the Daesh, as they call Islamic State fighters.
The United States decided to help YPG fighters defending Kobane with several airdrops. One pallet containing ammunition and water fell into ISIS hands. The jihadists posted video showing the supplies. One islamist, wearing a black ski mask, opened the boxes with grenades and RPG rockets.
Have a look:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yOuPX6z50EM&feature=youtu.be