ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The Women's Protection Units (YPJ) has reached an initial understanding with the Syrian government to integrate the all-female force into the interior ministry as a special mission unit, a YPJ spokesperson said on Monday.
Ruken Jamal told Rudaw's Nalin Hassan that during meetings with Syrian interior ministry officials in Damascus in late August, officials "approved in principle" the YPJ's proposal to join the ministry as a unified special mission force rather than having its fighters join individually or joining under other names.
The YPJ delegation, which included its commander Newroz Ahmed and Jamal, told central government officials, including the interior minister, that the force had initially sought to join the defense ministry but the proposal was rejected. The YPJ now considers integration into the interior ministry a “suitable” alternative.
Syria's Islamist-led army does not include women.
"We found it suitable to join the ministry of interior. For us, the priority is preserving our status as an organized entity—keeping our fighters, institutions, and commanders intact. When we saw a positive approach from the ministry of interior to integrate us specifically as a special mission force, we found it appropriate," Jamal said.
Damascus has not commented on the understanding.
Jamal said interior ministry officials told the delegation they would study the possibility of allowing the YPJ to join as a special mission unit before making a final decision.
She added that the YPJ had not encountered any obstacles to the proposal so far, noting that such a unit would be the first of its kind in Syria. The proposed force would be deployed in cities across northeast Syria (Rojava), she said.
Mazloum Abdi late last month announced the dissolution of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), days after declaring that the process of integrating the military, security and administrative institutions of Rojava into the Syrian state had been completed.
The YPJ is the women's branch of the People's Protection Units (YPG), which formed the backbone of the SDF.
The integration process is the outcome of a January agreement between the SDF and Syria's interim government following weeks of clashes. The deal was mediated by the United States and France and endorsed by several regional countries, including Turkey.
Following Abdi's announcement, Syrian interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa appointed the former SDF commander as a presidential envoy. Abdi said in a recent interview that he has yet to officially begin his work.
The YPJ had around 3,500 fighters when it joined the SDF in the January clashes, but its ranks have since fallen to around 1,500, according to Jamal.
She said some fighters had been transferred to state-affiliated internal security forces "voluntarily and following our approval," while others chose to work in civilian institutions in Rojava or return to civilian life.
The YPJ played a prominent role in the US-backed campaign against the Islamic State (ISIS), which lost its last territorial stronghold in Syria in 2019. The force also fought Turkey and Ankara-backed Syrian groups before the fall of Bashar al-Assad's government, as well as forces affiliated with the new Syrian authorities during clashes in January.
Jamal said 979 YPJ members were killed in all conflicts.
She also said six YPJ members remain in captivity. Three were captured during clashes with Turkey and its Syrian proxies in Afrin in 2018, while Cicek Kobane was detained in Gire Spi (Tal Abyad) in 2019 and later sentenced to life imprisonment in Turkey. Two others were captured during clashes with Turkey-backed Syrian forces in Manbij weeks before the fall of Assad.
