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The Women Warriors of the Free Syrian Army
- Thread starter |ASIA|
- Start date
The women of war: Syria's all-female battalion fighting on the front line against President Assad's government forces
- Around 150 formed a katiba, meaning battalion or phalanx in Arabic
- They are fighting beside the Free Syrian Army in war-torn Aleppo
By LEON WATSON PUBLISHED: 21:32 GMT, 20 March 2013 | UPDATED: 21:34 GMT, 20 March 2013
Emerging from the shadows of their secret command outpost, these are the members of the only all-female fighting unit in the war-torn Syrian city of Aleppo. Around 150 women have formed the katiba - which means battalion or phalanx in Arabic - which is playing a major role in the fighting, according to a monitoring group.
The katiba, made up of mostly Kurdish women, is fighting beside the Free Syrian Army against government forces on the streets of Syria's second city.
Members of the only all-female katiba in Aleppo fighting beside the Free Syrian Army, standing inside a secret command outpost
The formation of the women's battalion was announced in Ifrin, the scene in late 2012 of violence
'The Kurdish popular committees have set up the first women's battalion, comprising some 150 women fighters. The battalion is named the Martyr Rokan Battalion,' said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which opposes the regime.'While women are now fighting alongside the rebels, pro-regime forces and Kurdish militia, this is the first women's battalion as such,' said Observatory director Rami Abdel Rahman.
'Women are now playing a major role in the fighting in Syria,' he said.
The formation of the women's battalion was announced in Ifrin, the scene in late 2012 of violence pitting Kurdish fighters against Arab rebels fighting the regime of President Bashar al-Assad. Assad's troops pulled out from majority Kurdish areas in 2012, and while Kurds have been split over the anti-regime revolt in Syria, most have chosen to remain neutral in the conflict. An agreement in Ras al-Ain on the Turkish border brought an end to fighting between Kurds and Islamist rebels, though some activists have described the agreement brokered by a prominent Christian dissident as fragile.
Ready for war: The katiba, made up of mostly Kurdish women, is fighting beside the Free Syrian Army
The announcement of the Kurdish women's battalion comes a month after pro-regime forces set up the National Defence Forces, a paramilitary unit in which women of all ages have been asked to volunteer. Anti-regime activists have also distributed images of women fighters joining rebel ranks.
'Women are fighting on all the fronts now, though it's possibly the Islamist rebel ranks that have the fewest women taking part in them,' the Observatory's Abdel Rahman said. A female activist in the coastal province of Latakia said women often transport weapons and supplies for rebels as they are less likely to be searched at army and security checkpoints.Troops loyal to Assad and rebels have been locked in a deadly stalemate in Aleppo, Syria's largest urban center and main commercial hub, since an opposition assault last summer.
Eight months later, the rebels hold large parts of the city and its outskirts, including several army bases. But they have been unable to overcome the regime's far superior firepower.
Uprising: Members of the Free Syrian Army chant slogans against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in Azzaz, Aleppo
A defaced poster of Syria's President Bashar al-Assad is seen near garbage containers in Aleppo
A Free Syrian Army fighter takes cover during clashes with Syrian Army in the Salaheddine neighbourhood of central Aleppo
Today, Syria's government and rebels both demanded an international investigation into an alleged chemical weapons attack, as the country's feared arsenal became the latest propaganda tool in the two-year-old civil war. President Barack Obama said the U.S. is investigating whether chemical weapons have been deployed in Syria, but noted that he is 'deeply sceptical' of claims by President Bashar Assad's regime that rebel forces were behind such an attack.'Once we establish the facts, I have made clear that the use of chemical weapons is a game changer,' Obama said in a news conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem.The use of chemical weapons by either side is a nightmare scenario.
Along with its warnings about Assad, the West is just as concerned that rebel forces, including some linked to Al Qaida, could get their hands on Syria's chemical weapons supplies.Despite the importance, any clear confirmation of the nature of the attack that took place on Tuesday in the northern village of Khan al-Assal, killing at least 31 people, is unlikely. Syria's government seals off areas it controls to journalists and outside observers.The two sides blamed each other for a chemical attack without offering clear proof or documentation, as has frequently been the case in the Syrian civil war.If confirmed, it would be the first time a chemical weapon has been used in Syria's war that has already killed an estimated 70,000 people.
Emerging from the shadows of their secret command outpost, these are the members of the only all-female fighting unit in the war-torn Syrian city of Aleppo. Around 150 women have formed the katiba - which means battalion or phalanx in Arabic - which is playing a major role in the fighting, according to a monitoring group.
The katiba, made up of mostly Kurdish women, is fighting beside the Free Syrian Army against government forces on the streets of Syria's second city.
Members of the only all-female katiba in Aleppo fighting beside the Free Syrian Army, standing inside a secret command outpost
The formation of the women's battalion was announced in Ifrin, the scene in late 2012 of violence
'The Kurdish popular committees have set up the first women's battalion, comprising some 150 women fighters. The battalion is named the Martyr Rokan Battalion,' said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which opposes the regime.'While women are now fighting alongside the rebels, pro-regime forces and Kurdish militia, this is the first women's battalion as such,' said Observatory director Rami Abdel Rahman.
'Women are now playing a major role in the fighting in Syria,' he said.
The formation of the women's battalion was announced in Ifrin, the scene in late 2012 of violence pitting Kurdish fighters against Arab rebels fighting the regime of President Bashar al-Assad. Assad's troops pulled out from majority Kurdish areas in 2012, and while Kurds have been split over the anti-regime revolt in Syria, most have chosen to remain neutral in the conflict. An agreement in Ras al-Ain on the Turkish border brought an end to fighting between Kurds and Islamist rebels, though some activists have described the agreement brokered by a prominent Christian dissident as fragile.
Ready for war: The katiba, made up of mostly Kurdish women, is fighting beside the Free Syrian Army
The announcement of the Kurdish women's battalion comes a month after pro-regime forces set up the National Defence Forces, a paramilitary unit in which women of all ages have been asked to volunteer. Anti-regime activists have also distributed images of women fighters joining rebel ranks.
'Women are fighting on all the fronts now, though it's possibly the Islamist rebel ranks that have the fewest women taking part in them,' the Observatory's Abdel Rahman said. A female activist in the coastal province of Latakia said women often transport weapons and supplies for rebels as they are less likely to be searched at army and security checkpoints.Troops loyal to Assad and rebels have been locked in a deadly stalemate in Aleppo, Syria's largest urban center and main commercial hub, since an opposition assault last summer.
Eight months later, the rebels hold large parts of the city and its outskirts, including several army bases. But they have been unable to overcome the regime's far superior firepower.
Uprising: Members of the Free Syrian Army chant slogans against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in Azzaz, Aleppo
A defaced poster of Syria's President Bashar al-Assad is seen near garbage containers in Aleppo
A Free Syrian Army fighter takes cover during clashes with Syrian Army in the Salaheddine neighbourhood of central Aleppo
Today, Syria's government and rebels both demanded an international investigation into an alleged chemical weapons attack, as the country's feared arsenal became the latest propaganda tool in the two-year-old civil war. President Barack Obama said the U.S. is investigating whether chemical weapons have been deployed in Syria, but noted that he is 'deeply sceptical' of claims by President Bashar Assad's regime that rebel forces were behind such an attack.'Once we establish the facts, I have made clear that the use of chemical weapons is a game changer,' Obama said in a news conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem.The use of chemical weapons by either side is a nightmare scenario.
Along with its warnings about Assad, the West is just as concerned that rebel forces, including some linked to Al Qaida, could get their hands on Syria's chemical weapons supplies.Despite the importance, any clear confirmation of the nature of the attack that took place on Tuesday in the northern village of Khan al-Assal, killing at least 31 people, is unlikely. Syria's government seals off areas it controls to journalists and outside observers.The two sides blamed each other for a chemical attack without offering clear proof or documentation, as has frequently been the case in the Syrian civil war.If confirmed, it would be the first time a chemical weapon has been used in Syria's war that has already killed an estimated 70,000 people.
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