Kurdish women helped defeat ISIS in Syria. What is next for them as SDF dissolves?

Thousands of women who served in the Women's Protection Units (YPJ), a crucial part of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and instrumental in defeating ISIS, now face an uncertain future as the SDF integrates into new Syrian security forces. Their pivotal role in the fight against the Islamic State has raised questions about whether these women will be integrated into the new structures or left behind.

The YPJ leadership has engaged in discussions with Syria's Interior Ministry regarding the potential integration of its units into the ministry's structure. According to the Kurdish Hawar News Agency (ANHA), these meetings have been described as positive, focusing on the future of the YPJ and the possibility of their specialized integration. This offers a potential pathway for the women fighters, as the Interior Ministry has been seen positively in some areas of eastern Syria and has played a role in previous integration processes.

“

the General Command of the Women’s Protection Units (YPJ) revealed details of its meeting with the Interior Ministry of the transitional government, describing it as positive and noting that discussions focused on the future of the units and the possibility of integrating them, in their specialized capacity, into the ministry’s structure.

However, the integration process presents significant complexities. The command structure of the new Syrian army is expected to include conservative Muslim men, many drawn from groups like Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS). In contrast, the Kurdish YPJ units are generally more secular and left-leaning. This ideological divergence, coupled with the fact that the new command structure is primarily Arab, creates a challenging environment for integrating the Kurdish women fighters and ensuring their continued roles and recognition.

The outcome of these integration talks remains critical for the thousands of women who risked their lives and made significant sacrifices in the battle against ISIS. Their future within Syria's evolving security landscape will be a key indicator of how the nation addresses the contributions and rights of all its diverse components in the post-conflict era.

“

On August 26, the General Command of the Women’s Protection Units held a meeting with an official delegation from the Interior Ministry of the transitional government in Damascus. During the meeting, issues of security and stability in Syria, as well as the future of cooperation and coord