Kurdish women need arms to fight Isis

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/oct/30/empowered-kurdish-women-fighters-need-arms

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The real boots on the ground defending Kobani are the young women fighters of the YPJ (Kurdish Women’s Protection Units). But you only mention the peshmerga and the Free Syrian Army (Crowds line Turkish road to cheer Kobani bound troops, 30 October) About 35% of the Syrian Kurdish YPG (the People’s Protection Units of Rojava) are women. They number many thousands and the co-commander is a woman. Women snipers have killed hundreds of Isis fighters with the most minimal weaponry (ancient Russian kalashnkovs) – but they are running out of bullets. Many of these young girls are already martyrs; many have been captured and tortured, abducted into sexual slavery, killed and beheaded. It was the YPG and the YPJ rather than the peshmerga which, with the PKK, rescued the Yezidis from Mount Sinjar. It is due to the bravery and skills of these women that Kobani has not fallen. Rojava is the one place in the Middle East where there is real gender equality and the YPJ demonstrates this empowerment of women. They desperately need the heavy arms to defeat Isis. A rally is being held in Trafalgar Square on Saturday to demand support for these brave Syrian Kurds.Margaret Owen Patron of Peace in Kurdistan