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Meet the female Kurdish fighters battling ISIL

From Syria’s strategic Tishrin Dam, members of the YPG and YPJ have launched operations against ISIL.

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Members of the Syrian Democratic Forces, an umbrella group that includes Kurdish, Arab and Turkmen fighters, watch over the Tishrin Dam. [Mauricio Morales/Al Jazeera]
By Mauricio Morales
Published On 11 May 2016

The Tishrin Dam, which provides energy to the Syrian city of Kobane, is one of the country’s heavily contested frontlines.

The strategic dam in northern Syria has changed hands numerous times, and was retaken from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) by Kurdish fighters last December.

Today, from this area, a coalition of fighters that includes the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG, and their female counterparts, YPJ) have launched operations against ISIL.

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Fighters man a post near a village that was previously held by ISIL. [Mauricio Morales/Al Jazeera]
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Female Kurdish fighters, referred to as the YPJ, have been active in Syria's Kurdish areas. [Mauricio Morales/Al Jazeera]
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An injured YPJ fighter is transported near the Tishrin Dam. [Mauricio Morales/Al Jazeera]
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The dam area was retaken from ISIL by Kurdish fighters last December. [Mauricio Morales/Al Jazeera]
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The dam has become a heavily contested frontline. [Mauricio Morales/Al Jazeera]
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A YPJ fighter sits in a frontline position west of the Euphrates River. [Mauricio Morales/Al Jazeera]
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Since the operation to retake the dam, YPJ fighters have been holding the line along the Euphrates. [Mauricio Morales/Al Jazeera]
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YPJ and YPG units, along with other Arab and Turkmen groups, control positions near the dam. [Mauricio Morales/Al Jazeera]
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The YPJ fighters are just one of myriad groups battling for control in Syria. [Mauricio Morales/Al Jazeera]
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YPJ and YPG fighters pause at a frontline position, looking out across the Euphrates. [Mauricio Morales/Al Jazeera]
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Two fighters rest in a position on the hilltop they are manning. [Mauricio Morales/Al Jazeera]
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A YPG fighter looks out over his rifle to an ISIL position 10km away. [Mauricio Morales/Al Jazeera]
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The area around the strategic dam has changed hands numerous times. [Mauricio Morales/Al Jazeera]
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A YPJ fighter laughs on a windy day in the trenches. [Mauricio Morales/Al Jazeera]