KURDISH WOMEN WARRIORS BATTLE IN SYRIA AFPApril 21, 2013, 7:51 pm
[image: Kurdish women warriors battle in Syria]<http://l.yimg.com/ea/img/-/130421/photo_1366537767643_1_0-18n7e1a.jpg?x=400&sig=nhzuKjZv2S2KVL8_nTjGYA--> AFP ©Enlarge photo<http://l.yimg.com/ea/img/-/130421/photo_1366537767643_1_0-18n7e1a.jpg?x=400&sig=nhzuKjZv2S2KVL8_nTjGYA--> ALEPPO, Syria (AFP) - Unveiled and barking orders at fierce-looking Kurdish men nearly twice her size, commander Engizek is a shocking sight within Syria's male-dominated rebel ranks. A short, diminutive woman flanked by gun-toting loyalists, Engizek leads dozens of Kurdish combatants in Aleppo city's embattled district of Sheikh Maqsud, large parts of which were seized late last month from regime fighters. "Women can shoot machineguns, Kalashnikovs and even tanks -- just as well as men," said Engizek, 28, wearing trousers and a sleeveless beige jacket, her dark hair bound tightly behind her head. "Women are an integral part of our rebellion," she told AFP in a deserted alleyway squashed between bullet-riddled and blasted buildings amid the sporadic crackle of sniper fire. Fighters like Engizek -- whose Committees for the Protection of the Kurdish People (YPG) brigade is 20 percent women -- are the hidden face of Syria's armed rebellion against the regime of Bashar al-Assad, now in its third year. The YPG, which recently joined forces with Syrian opposition rebels, is the armed wing of the Democratic Union Party (PYD), widely considered the Syrian offshoot of Turkey's outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). Unlike their Arab counterparts, Kurdish women have a long tradition of combat roles. The PKK's fierce women fighters grabbed worldwide attention in the mid-1990s with their frightening zeal in launching suicide bombings. But women combatants, no matter what their ethnicity, still stand out as a striking anomaly in Syria's male-dominated rebellion. Some media reports indicate that women are part of both pro- and anti-regime armed forces, but their presence is far less visible on the front lines compared to Kurdish fighters. Engizek, who goes by a single name, says the YPG's women fighters undergo the same rigorous training as men and fight alongside each other as well as eat together and share cooking and cleaning duties. Standing on top of a bed and taking aim at a regime sniper from a pigeon-sized hole in a shrapnel-scarred wall, 18-year-old Mumtaz says joining the rebellion more than a year ago was a "liberating experience". The only fighter in her family of four, she says she morphed overnight from an unknown high school girl to a warrior after she joined a YPG training camp in her hometown of Afrin, a largely Kurdish town north of Aleppo. "Picking up the gun was a personal choice," said the sinewy bandana-clad fighter, a choice that bestowed freedom from rigid social mores that deem marriage the only culturally appropriate rite of passage for women. As she spoke, her comrades, both men and women, took a break from duty in a nearby room in the desolate building, smoking, chatting and eating flatbread, cheese and fresh olives. While the fighters mingle freely, the women live separately from male fighters and relationships are strictly forbidden. Engizek did not reveal what punishment awaits fighters who break that code of conduct. Joining the struggle has exacted a heavy price -- most of the female fighters have given up all hopes of having families of their own some day. Engizek, for one, is staunchly opposed to marriage. "Marriage is enslavement," she said. "I don't want to be a slave, my girls don't want to be slaves." The presence of women fighters in conservative Syrian society inspires both awe and shock. "They are not women -- they are men," said one Free Syrian Army soldier with a bulbous beard. "A real woman is more feminine." He said he was particularly opposed to women on the front line because their presence can "seriously distract male fighters". It is a view that resonates strongly with Noor ul-Haq, a primary school teacher in Aleppo whose husband is a fighter with the Liwa al-Tawhid Brigade, one of the largest rebel groups in the war-torn city. Syrian women of varied social and ethnic backgrounds, she says, have contributed to the anti-Assad revolution in other meaningful ways, from taking part in demonstrations to delivering food and ammunition to rebels. "There's no need for women to pick up the gun," she said. "There are so many men out there." Engizek's comrades dismissed such a view as "retarded". "This country will not be free until women are free," said Lokman Abusalam, a 41-year-old fighter, adding that his male comrades have no problem in reporting to a female commander. Engizek said the ascendancy of radical Islamist groups in Syria's messy civil war has led to concerns that they may begin trampling women's rights. She expressed particular dismay about the rise of the Islamist Al-Nusra Front, which has announced its affiliation to Al-Qaeda. "We are not willing to collaborate with those who don't accept women's rights," she said. "As a group we cannot accept that. As a woman, I cannot accept that." ----------------------------------------- : *Head of Opposition Confirms Resignation Over International Inaction* On Sunday, Moaz al-Khatib, the head of the opposition Syrian National Coalition, confirmed last month's announcement<http://www.enduringamerica.com/home/2013/4/21/syria-live-international-support-for-the-insurgency.html#1935> of his resignation. A Coalition spokesman said the departure was over the "lack of real action by the international community". Al-Khatib left the cryptic comment<http://www.gulf-times.com/region/216/details/349927/khatib-firm-on-quitting-over-%E2%80%98inaction%E2%80%99-on-syria> on his Facebook page, "When a bird is in his cage, he remains imprisoned and paralysed. Yesterday I came out of the cage of deception that I was in. 0440 GMT: *Mass Killing in Jdeidat Al-Fadel* On Saturday, the Free Syrian Army withdrew from towns southwest of Damascus, saying that it wanted to prevent civilians from being killed as regime forces tried to seize territory. It was not to be. Yesterday activists reported that at least 80 people had been slain in Jdeidat al-Fadel as President Assad's military occupied the area. Videos and pictures showed the dead. The circumstances have not been established, although claims are circulating that the regime army took away almost 500 people and that many --- one assertion was more than 200 --- were executed. State news agency SANA merely said, "Armed Forces units inflicted heavy losses <http://sana.sy/eng/21/2013/04/21/478440.htm> upon terrorists in the town of Jdiadet al-Fadl in Damascus Countryside, injuring a number of them nd killing others including Mohammad Rihan and Khaled al-Fares." Other reports said the Free Syrian Army had run out of ammunition, prompting its departure. There have been months of fighting in the area, notably in and around the town of Jdeydet Artouz close to Jdeydat al-Fadel. >From Enduring America^ -------------------------------------- [image: Syria - POC - Rahaf Kurdi and husband Adnan Zeraei]<http://yallasouriya.files.wordpress.com/2013/04/syria-poc-rahaf-kurdi-and-husband-adnan-zeraei.jpg> Rahaf Kurdi and husband Adnan Zeraei Prisoners of Conscience World Organization for the Defense of Human Rights Freedom for Rahaf Kurdi and her husband Adnan Zeraei, Syria, Damascus Mrs Rahaf Kurdi was arrested by Assads on April 18, 2013 from her house along with her friend Mrs. Nasrin Nafori. Rahaf is a mother of 18 months old son Jad. Her husband the well known writer Adnan Zeraei was detained on Feb 26, 2012 too. Mohamd Deiraki, Nasrins husband was arrested on their wedding day 4 months ago. We demand their release and hold Assads responsible of their well being. We demand the immediate release of all the Syrian detainees of conscience. We also demand the release of all detainees in security branches and civil and military prisons. And we condemn all forms of torture subjected on our detainees by the Assad government security agents in the cellars of the security branches. [image: Syria - POC - Nasrin Nafori and Mohamad Deiraki]<http://yallasouriya.files.wordpress.com/2013/04/syria-poc-nasrin-nafori-and-mohamad-deiraki.jpg> Nasrin Nafori and husband Mohamad Deiraki Prisoners of Conscience World Organization for the Defense of Human Rights Syria, Damascus Freedom for Nasrin Nafori and her husband Mohamad Deiraki Mrs Rahaf Kurdi was arrested by Assads on April 18, 2013 from her house along with her friend Mrs. Nasrin Nafori. Rahaf is a mother of 18 months old son Jad. Her husband the well known writer Adnan Zeraei was detained on Feb 26, 2012 too. Mohamd Deiraki, Nasrins husband was arrested on their wedding day 4 months ago. We demand their release and hold Assads responsible of their well being. We demand the immediate release of all the Syrian detainees of conscience. We also demand the release of all detainees in security branches and civil and military prisons. And we condemn all forms of torture subjected on our detainees by the Assad government security agents in the cellars of the security branches. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------ --------------------------------------------------------------------------- LAAMN: Los Angeles Alternative Media Network --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Unsubscribe: <mailto:laamn-unsubscr...@egroups.com> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Subscribe: <mailto:laamn-subscr...@egroups.com> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Digest: <mailto:laamn-dig...@egroups.com> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Help: <mailto:laamn-ow...@egroups.com?subject=laamn> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Post: <mailto:la...@egroups.com> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Archive1: <http://www.egroups.com/messages/laamn> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Archive2: <http://www.mail-archive.com/laamn@egroups.com> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/laamn/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/laamn/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: laamn-dig...@yahoogroups.com laamn-fullfeatu...@yahoogroups.com <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: laamn-unsubscr...@yahoogroups.com <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
