Kurds After the Battle of Raqqa
Kurdish women militias prepare to drive ISIS from Raqqa
The battle to reclaim Raqqa from IS may soon be over, but what will victory mean for the Kurds now controlling the city? On the front, female Kurdish fighters talk about unity, uncertainty and the dangers ahead.
“We are fighting here today for every woman in the world. So that the entire world knows that women can fight against barbarians like IS", says Rosul Amanus, platoon commander in the YPJ, a Kurdish women's unit battling for Raqqa. "All women are therefore taking part in the battle for Raqqa”, says Amanus, surrounded by arms, ammunition, and her fellow female soldiers. After months of fighting in an international and multiracial coalition, the Syrian Democratic Forces look to have almost overcome the Daesh forces. "Whether it is Kurds, Arabs or Armenians who have suffered under the dark views of IS. We will welcome them all", says member of the Arab Civil Council Jala Hamzawi, now taking stock of the destroyed city. But with the diminishing threat of IS, many believe that the Kurds' wartime allies could desert the persecuted ethnic minority. "Do you think we're scared? Even before America began supporting us, we were fighting this war", says Amanus. "Everybody should know that as Kurds, as people on this planet, we will fight until we have gained our human rights and got what we deserve."
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