women in combat on the web
April 30, 2017 8:33 PM Subscribe
Hundreds of us will die in Raqqa an extraordinary long web page piece of journalism about English women volunteering with the YPG at the assault on Daesh in Raqqa. Read, watch and listen.
Not to detract from the topic at hand, but another interesting article about a westerner that joined YPG. He was tweeting his experiences somewhat regularly, and has been one of the only reasons I paid attention to Twitter at all for the past year or so.
posted by BrandonW at 8:54 PM on April 30, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by BrandonW at 8:54 PM on April 30, 2017 [2 favorites]
She has no body armour or helmet, so wraps an emerald and orange embroidered keffiyeh around her forehead to, she says, help express her femininity.
I supposed it also serves the purpose of humiliating male Daesh by showing them that they're about to be killed by a woman.
Christ on a bicycle--no body armor or helmet?
posted by tully_monster at 8:56 PM on April 30, 2017
I supposed it also serves the purpose of humiliating male Daesh by showing them that they're about to be killed by a woman.
Christ on a bicycle--no body armor or helmet?
posted by tully_monster at 8:56 PM on April 30, 2017
Thanks for posting this. I was roughing something out for a similar post so please have these links for good measure.
Khatoon Khider used to be a popular Yazidi singer. Now she’s the head of an all-women battle unit with Isis in its sights.
Kurdish Women Warriors Fighting Islamic /State in Syria and Iraq.
Dilar Dirik a Cambridge University PhD put it more into perspective -
No matter how fascinating it is - from an orientalist perspective - to discover a women's revolution among Kurds, my generation grew up recognising women fighters as a natural element of our identity.
posted by adamvasco at 10:12 PM on April 30, 2017 [7 favorites]
Khatoon Khider used to be a popular Yazidi singer. Now she’s the head of an all-women battle unit with Isis in its sights.
Kurdish Women Warriors Fighting Islamic /State in Syria and Iraq.
Dilar Dirik a Cambridge University PhD put it more into perspective -
No matter how fascinating it is - from an orientalist perspective - to discover a women's revolution among Kurds, my generation grew up recognising women fighters as a natural element of our identity.
posted by adamvasco at 10:12 PM on April 30, 2017 [7 favorites]
In related news
Turkey threatens more strikes on US-allied Syrian Kurds
posted by adamvasco at 11:27 PM on April 30, 2017
Turkey threatens more strikes on US-allied Syrian Kurds
posted by adamvasco at 11:27 PM on April 30, 2017
How much weight should be given to the KRG's claims that the YPJ is
an oppressive regime that has forcefully displaced Arab settlers, razed villages and recruited child soldiers.posted by Joe in Australia at 2:36 AM on May 1, 2017
I have absolutely no idea because I don't know the relationship between the entities or the pressures exerted on Kurdistan. But it was mentioned in the article, and if it's true then it's probably worth keeping in mind.
posted by Joe in Australia at 4:53 AM on May 1, 2017
posted by Joe in Australia at 4:53 AM on May 1, 2017
As the KRG is presently allied with Erdoğan
my vote is straight up propaganda.
From that link:-
Contrary to conventional wisdom, in the past both the KDP and the PUK have worked alongside Turkey against the PKK, whose Marxist-orientated vision of Kurdish nationalism runs contrary to their social-democratic and liberal outlook.
posted by adamvasco at 6:10 AM on May 1, 2017 [3 favorites]
my vote is straight up propaganda.
From that link:-
Contrary to conventional wisdom, in the past both the KDP and the PUK have worked alongside Turkey against the PKK, whose Marxist-orientated vision of Kurdish nationalism runs contrary to their social-democratic and liberal outlook.
posted by adamvasco at 6:10 AM on May 1, 2017 [3 favorites]
What is the difference between the PKK, PYD, YPG, KRG, KDP, and the Peshmerga?
I'll stop now. It's complicated.
posted by adamvasco at 6:29 AM on May 1, 2017
I'll stop now. It's complicated.
posted by adamvasco at 6:29 AM on May 1, 2017
What is the difference between the PKK, PYD, YPG, KRG, KDP, and the Peshmerga?
I'll stop now. It's complicated.
Now if only some of the imperial powers of the last 150 years had said something along those lines decades ago, we might not be in the mess we're in now.
posted by Big Al 8000 at 7:09 AM on May 1, 2017 [4 favorites]
I'll stop now. It's complicated.
Now if only some of the imperial powers of the last 150 years had said something along those lines decades ago, we might not be in the mess we're in now.
posted by Big Al 8000 at 7:09 AM on May 1, 2017 [4 favorites]
Some time ago during a lul in the atrocity news cycle I was asking topically informed parties an intentionally naive question "why does everyone hate the kurds?" and really got no good answer. (probably just offended several)
Now I don't remember just where I read, but a slight comment about establishing a kurdish state was that the Syrian Kurds, the Iraqi Kurds, the Turkish Kurds , the Armenian Kurds and the Iranian Kurds don't really get along all that well.
But cynically they are likely an established party sustained as a buffer between a bunch of other relatively established nations that would be shooting at each other more if the boarders work right up against, an that sort of worked and no one wants to give them a huge chunk of totally independent territory or arms so they can "take" their own territory. (darned rare for any country to give up land)
Impressive tough (smart, competent, heroic) women though, all prayers and best hopes.
posted by sammyo at 8:08 AM on May 1, 2017
Now I don't remember just where I read, but a slight comment about establishing a kurdish state was that the Syrian Kurds, the Iraqi Kurds, the Turkish Kurds , the Armenian Kurds and the Iranian Kurds don't really get along all that well.
But cynically they are likely an established party sustained as a buffer between a bunch of other relatively established nations that would be shooting at each other more if the boarders work right up against, an that sort of worked and no one wants to give them a huge chunk of totally independent territory or arms so they can "take" their own territory. (darned rare for any country to give up land)
Impressive tough (smart, competent, heroic) women though, all prayers and best hopes.
posted by sammyo at 8:08 AM on May 1, 2017
“If it was just for money, I wouldn’t leave Bashiqa and Barzan, my precious home villages, to come and fight you,” Khider says, reciting from memory, to a new generation of Yazidis hungry for vengeance. “I am coming to take revenge for my brothers, I will kill you and rip out your heart and liver. I am coming for you.”
What a tragic and powerful story this woman has. I wish for her the justice she deserves.
posted by Kitty Stardust at 8:44 AM on May 1, 2017
What a tragic and powerful story this woman has. I wish for her the justice she deserves.
posted by Kitty Stardust at 8:44 AM on May 1, 2017
Since my older son is now approaching the age where he could theoretically head off to enlist in a militia of some kind, what I would say to him is:
- wars are generally fought between two groups of old assholes who send young people to do their fighting for them
- the life your mother gave you is very precious: by fighting, is this the very best use of your life to seek justice and right a wrong? are there other ways you could use your life in order to seek justice?
- are you truly going to fight to seek justice and right a wrong, or are you going to fulfill a private, egotistical need of some kind?
There are times when you have to fight. But it's important to ask yourself why you want to fight.
posted by My Dad at 9:15 AM on May 1, 2017 [5 favorites]
- wars are generally fought between two groups of old assholes who send young people to do their fighting for them
- the life your mother gave you is very precious: by fighting, is this the very best use of your life to seek justice and right a wrong? are there other ways you could use your life in order to seek justice?
- are you truly going to fight to seek justice and right a wrong, or are you going to fulfill a private, egotistical need of some kind?
There are times when you have to fight. But it's important to ask yourself why you want to fight.
posted by My Dad at 9:15 AM on May 1, 2017 [5 favorites]
Very interesting and compelling read - thanks for sharing.
posted by Rei Toei at 4:39 AM on May 3, 2017
posted by Rei Toei at 4:39 AM on May 3, 2017
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posted by grubby at 8:37 PM on April 30, 2017