According to Kurdpress, a new report by the Telegraph newspaper shows that the Syrian Kurdish Women's Protection Units (YPJ), the all-female military force of the Syrian Kurds that played a decisive role in the defeat of ISIS, is refusing to hand over its weapons and disband against the forces affiliated with the Syrian central government. This unit, which had about 24,000 female fighters at the height of the war with ISIS, He has announced that he will continue his military activity even after the recent agreement between the Kurdish forces and the Damascus government.

According to YPJ commanders, the current confrontation is not simply a territorial dispute, but is directly tied to the fate of the Kurdish self-government system and women's rights in northern and eastern Syria. In an interview with Telegraph in Qamishlu - the main center of the Kurdish autonomous regions - Roksan Mohammad, the spokesperson of the Women's Defense Units, says: "As a woman, why did I take up arms? Because I see that my society, self-governance system and my identity are in danger. "I may have father and brother, but it is up to me to defend myself.

The women's defense units were part of the Kurdish-led military structure that fought against ISIS with the support of the US-led international coalition. YPJ female forces played a pivotal role in liberating the areas under the control of ISIS and contributed to the establishment of an unrecognized self-governing administration; An area where about four million people live

Since the beginning of this year, the central government of Syria has started extensive military operations in these areas. According to Kurdish estimates, these attacks led to the loss of about 80% of the areas under the control of the self-governing system and forced the Kurds to accept a ceasefire and an agreement that critics describe as unbalanced and based on foreign pressure.

Roxan Mohammad says about this: "If the path is the path of war, we are ready to defend." If the path is the path of peace and this agreement protects the rights of the people and the structure of self-governance, we will also support it.

According to the text of the agreement, the Kurdish forces are supposed to operate in the form of mechanisms integrated with the official structures of Syria, but there is still a serious disagreement between Damascus and the Kurdish representatives about the scope of authority, the method of integration and the degree of practical independence; According to the observers, the agreement was formed with the direct role of Washington.

In the official text of the ceasefire, the women's defense units are not mentioned. However, the YPJ spokesman says the forces will continue to operate as an independent military structure within the Kurdish forces. He mentions that Ahmed al-Shara, the current president of Syria, entered Syria at the beginning of the civil war as the leader of Jabhat al-Nusra - a jihadist group affiliated with al-Qaeda - and was involved with the YPJ forces in the same years.

According to Mohammad, "the role of the female forces in the battle against ISIS and jihadist groups, including Jabhat al-Nusra, was not a marginal role. Therefore, excluding women from future military structures is not acceptable to us.

On the other hand, the Syrian central government is ideologically opposed to the organized presence of women in military and political structures and seems to be seeking the individual integration of Kurdish forces into the Syrian army and ending the structures of the self-governing system.

On Monday, the limited entry of government forces into the autonomous regions was accompanied by tension. Reports indicate sporadic clashes between local security forces and elements aligned with the government, and some published images show the display of symbols previously associated with jihadist groups, including ISIS.

Currently, women's defense units are still present in operational positions, providing security in Kurdish cities and are responsible for protecting the detention centers of ISIS prisoners, including the camp where Shamima Begum, a British citizen, is kept. At the same time, the United States is gradually transferring ISIS prisoners to Iraq, An action that can prepare the ground for the new military pressure of the central government and the complete weakening of the self-governance structure.

Roxan Mohammad emphasizes: "Our cooperation with the international coalition was purely tactical. "From the beginning, we knew that their mission was limited to fighting ISIS.

She adds that regardless of the fate of the ceasefire, the women's defense units will retain control of their armored equipment and heavy weapons. According to him, forces aligned with the central government, who have a jihadist background, are considered an existential threat to Kurdish women. Over the past decade, in addition to military structures, these women have created political and civil institutions specifically for women within the framework of the self-governing system.

Finally, as the government forces approach Qamishlo, the YPJ spokesperson says, "The pressure may increase, but entering our land will not come without a cost." We are ready".