TV Report on Female Yazidi Fighters: We Are Not Afraid, It Is Our Duty to Liberate Our Land

Al-Arabiya TV recently broadcast a report, in which it interviewed Yazidi women fighting against ISIS in Sinjar. Nineteen-year-old Bayan, whose family was being held captive by ISIS, said: "If I were sitting comfortably on my couch, like any European woman, I would not be able to achieve my desires. Here, in these mountains, I must fight in order to remain free." The female militants listened in on the enemy's radio communications, and said of the ISIS snipers, only 20 meters away: "We are not afraid." The report aired on March 31, 2017.

Narrator: "In order to avoid the snipers’ fire, we sought cover and avoided exposure. It was here, while coming into direct contact with the terrorists, that we met the first group of female Yazidi fighters."

Fighter: "The extremists are there – in the red building."

Narrator: "These women, whom ISIS frequently turns into martyrs, are here, on the front line, facing members of the organization. From among the ruins, they man this advanced observation post. They stand guard 24 hours a day and respond in the event of an attack."

Fighter: "This is where I spend my time."

Interviewer: "How far are you from ISIS here?"

Fighter: "They are barely 20 meters away. Sometimes they infiltrate as far as the building opposite us."

Interviewer: "Aren’t you afraid?"

Fighter: "No! If we were afraid, we wouldn’t be here. You want me to be honest? If I were sitting comfortably on my couch, like any European woman, I would not be able to achieve my desires. But here, in these mountains, I must fight in order to remain free."

Narrator: "By means of wireless devices, the fighters constantly follow the enemy’s conversations."

Radio Chatter: "Post 14, post 14 – Abu Hamza, do you read me?"

Fighter: "They don’t talk all the time."

Interviewer: "How do you feel when you hear the voice of your enemy?"

Fighter: "It is intolerable. I hate it when I hear them talk."

Narrator: "These Yazidi women have hung on their walls pictures of the comrades who were killed in combat operations."

Fighter: "Take a look at the cooks. It’s the men who are doing the cooking today."

Narrator: "Bayan, at 19 years of age, is the youngest of the group. She did not make it to the front by chance. She was born in this town, and to this day, her family is being held captive by ISIS."

Bayan: "I too could have been in the hands of ISIS. That is why I am fighting in Sinjar. The battles are harsh, even agonizing, but I have no choice. It is my duty to defend my land."

Narrator: "Between their two missions, Bayan and her friends have converted a neighboring room into a small salon. It is here that they try to relax, but their breaks are never very long."

Fighter: "They are firing at random, hoping to hit us."

Interviewer: "Is it dangerous?"

Bayan: "No! No. We are not afraid."

[…]

Narrator: "Bayan has resolved to fight until her town has been liberated."