ISF celebrates the International Women's Day

Shafaq News / The Internal Security Forces (ISF) - Women unit and the Women Protection Forces in the Kurdish-led Autonomous Administration in northeast Syria celebrated on the International Women's Day.

Hundreds of women in the internal security forces and other agencies attended the celebration held in the stadium of the city of Rmaylan, 70 kilometers from Qamishli, the largest Kurdish city in Syria.

Halima Mahmoud, head of ISF’s Women unit said "We congratulate all women in the International Women's Day, especially the women of northern and eastern Syria, …The 8th of March is a historic day for us, is the Day of Resistance,….thanks to the thought and the long struggle of free women we have reached this stage."

Mahmoud added, "We celebrate the Women's Day from the 1st to the 8th March… we will continue the struggle to obtain a free and decent life."

It’s noteworthy that in the Kurdish-led autonomous administration, women have active participation at all political and military levels.

Women fighters make up 40 percent of the region’s force and have won praise for their prowess when battling ISIS, including the liberation of Yazidi families under siege near Sinjar in northern Iraq in 2014.

The internal police, or Asayish, has a women-only unit that deals also with sexual assault and rape. Each city in Rojava has a co-presidency that must be filled by a woman, and at least 50 percent of political offices are held by females.

Academies and foundations to further women’s rights and as many as 27 centers to help women facing domestic violence or financial hardship have opened in Kurdish Syria since 2014.