YPJ says deal reached in principle to join Syrian Interior Ministry as 1,500-strong force
After the dissolution of the SDF, YPJ Press Center official Rûken Cemal said Damascus and the YPJ have agreed in principle for the women's unit to join Syria's Interior Ministry as a 1,500-strong "special task force" while keeping its own command structure.
RastinewsRûken Cemal, press center official for the Women's Protection Units (YPJ), told Rudaw TV's Nalin Hesen that Damascus and the YPJ have reached an agreement in principle for the unit to join Syria's Interior Ministry while retaining its existing command structure.
Cemal said talks held in Damascus on August 25-27 addressed folding the YPJ, a force of roughly 1,500 fighters, into the ministry's structure.
Command structure to be preserved
According to Cemal, a YPJ delegation met on August 27 with Syrian Interior Minister Anas al-Khattab, his deputy, and two senior female officers.
Cemal said the delegation requested that the unit join the process as an "organized force," complete with its fighters, commanders and separate units. She said both sides responded positively to the proposal in principle, though no final decision has been made.
Cemal said the YPJ's initial positioning as a "special task force" or "anti-terror" unit around Kobani, Hasakah, Qamishli and Derik is still under discussion, and that the structure will be finalized after talks with Internal Security commands in Hasakah and Aleppo.
Syria's Interior Ministry has issued no official statement on the content of the talks.
"Interior Ministry instead of Defense Ministry"
Cemal said the YPJ had earlier raised the option of joining the Defense Ministry, but argued the Syrian army's current structure was not ready to accommodate an autonomous women's unit.
She said the special task force option under the Interior Ministry was therefore seen as more suitable, adding that the YPJ's goals are protecting women and contributing to building the new Syria.
Cemal said a special task force takes on operational duties against internal and external threats in extraordinary circumstances, a role she said matches the YPJ's existing experience.
From 3,500 fighters to 1,500
Cemal said YPJ ranks reached about 3,500 fighters by the last war. Since then, she said, some fighters have joined the Asayish, others have taken posts in Autonomous Administration institutions, and some have returned to civilian life.
She said the force now under discussion for integration with Damascus, including its command tier, numbers about 1,500 fighters, and that this force is initially planned to operate in the YPJ's current areas of deployment.
Fate of six fighters still unknown
Cemal said 52 YPJ fighters have been captured in clashes since the unit's founding, with most later released.
She said six fighters remain in captivity with their fate still unknown. Of these, she said, three were captured during the 2018 battle of Afrin, one in Girê Spî (Tal Abyad), and two during attacks on Manbij.
Cemal said 13 fighters were released in 2025, and that under the January 29 agreement, 33 women fighters captured in the last war were freed.
979 fighters killed
Cemal said the YPJ has lost 979 fighters since its founding, with losses concentrated particularly during the attacks on Serêkaniyê and Girê Spî.
She said many fighters have been wounded and left disabled by the war, and that health care and treatment guarantees for the wounded and disabled must also be addressed as part of the integration process.
New talks expected within a week
Cemal said the talks are not yet complete, and that both sides expect to reconnect within about a week to ten days.
She said a final decision on the unit's structure, command system and deployment areas is expected only after those talks conclude.
SDF dissolved as an independent force
Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) Commander-in-Chief Mazlum Abdi announced in Damascus on August 25 that the integration process was complete and that the SDF had been dissolved as an independent military force.
Following that announcement, YPJ commanders Newroz Ehmed, Sozdar Hacî, Xalsa Ayêd and Rûken Cemal met in Damascus with a delegation led by Interior Minister Anas al-Khattab.
The YPJ delegation had also met with Syrian Defense Minister Murhaf Abu Qasra in April, presenting a written draft proposal for positioning women fighters as a separate structure.
The January 29 agreement between the Damascus government and the Autonomous Administration had set the framework for the integration process.