NEWS CENTER - Speaking about the future of the YPJ amid the ongoing integration process with Syria’s interim government, YPJ spokesperson Rûksen Mihemed said the most important condition for its forces was to preserve their “distinct identity” within the army.

 

One of the key issues in the ongoing integration process between the Damascus government and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) is the integration of the Women’s Protection Units (YPJ/Yekîneyen Parastina Jin). Speaking to Al-Hadath and Al-Arabiya, YPJ spokesperson Rûksen Mihemed said the Syrian government had “reservations” about the presence of women’s military units within the army, describing this as one of the main obstacles to reaching an agreement on the terms of integration.

 

Rûksen Mihemed said that the proposal to place the women’s units under the Interior Ministry needed to be discussed, including its content and the principles underpinning it. She added that whether affiliation with the Interior Ministry was appropriate for the units also needed to be considered.

 

‘REBUILDING THE ARMY MUST INVOLVE WOMEN’

 

Rûksen Mihemed said: “Rebuilding the Syrian army must be done with women’s participation. YPJ units have experience not only in organization, training and military operations, but also in fighting DAESH and protecting women, children and Syrian territory.”

 

Rûksen Mihemed said they also regarded the integration of the units into the army as a matter of struggle, and stressed that it was important for women to have a place in the new military institution and to play a role in the building of the army in Syria and in decision-making processes. Rûksen Mihemed said: “The units are ready to discuss all proposals through dialogue and negotiations, but they are committed to a number of conditions. Most importantly, they must be integrated as a single unit while preserving their distinct identity within the army.”

 

‘WOMEN MUST ALSO BE AT THE CENTER OF DECISION-MAKING’

 

Rûksen Mihemed said that these details constituted an important part of the YPJ’s identity and history, adding:  “The legacy of the units is no longer limited to Syrian women. It has become linked to the issue of defending women and their rights internationally, particularly because these units were the first all-women armed force to stand against DAESH.”

 

Rûksen Mihemed said that women’s participation in the new Syrian army should also extend to decision-making centers, adding: “Women’s presence in state institutions should not be merely symbolic; rather, they should be real and essential partners in building the new Syria.”

 

Rûksen Mihemed stressed that the YPJ’s integration was closely tied to the role of women in the Syrian state and its institutions, emphasizing that “dialogue is the best way to achieve outcomes that serve women, Syria and the Syrian people.”