Jaysh al-Thuwar (The Army of Revolutionaries) will form the first woman military unit in Idlib. The group will be led by Dr Nadya Hasan, one of the first female fighters in the region.

We met with Nadya Hasan, one of the first female fighters of the group, in Jaysh al-Thuwar’s Headquarters in Til Rifat.

NADYA AND HER COMRADES WILL MAKE HISTORY

Hasan said that 10 women are already in ranks of Jaysh al-Thuwar and they are preparing to form an all-woman military unit to attract more women to fight for their land.

A woman fighter is unheard of for the groups in Idlib, Hama and Homs. Nadya and her comrades are making history in the region.

Nadya is a doctor and mother of five. She joined Jaysh al-Thuwar ranks after her family was forcibly removed from their hometown. When she arrived in Shehba she decided to join Jaysh al-Thuwar group. Her husband is also a member of Jaysh al-Thuwar.

TORTURED BY THE REGIME AND AL-NUSRA

“When the revolution started I was working in Aleppo’s Martini Hospital with doctor Mahmud El Aryen. The regime forces were bringing their wounded to the hospital. And some lost their lives there. The regime held us responsible for the death of a soldier and I was jailed for one year. I was tortured so much that I forgot my family and my children. I lost my memory. When I was released they cancelled my medical licence” she said.

After her release from prison, Nadya went back to Idlib and started working as a doctor. The same fate soon found her as Al-Nusra arrested her this time for being a regime’s spy. She was subjected to torture again.

Nadya survived Al-Nusra’s tortures and she took refuge in the area controlled by Jaysh al-Thuwar.

CALL TO THE WOMEN OF IDLIB TO JOIN JAYSH AL-THUWAR

“Thank God I saw freedom here. Now we are ten women in the ranks of Jaysh al-Thuwar. When there is enough of us we will attend military training and form a unit. The people of Idlib will see this. We as women are left without defence but from now on we have to be able to defend ourselves. We know that our sisters suffer in Idlib. So many people were massacred in the past six years. The regime, Al-Nusra, ISIS… they continue to massacre the people. I call on our sisters in Idlib: Our freedom is Syrian Democratic Force’s struggle. Join us and let us stand in front of cruelty and make Idlib free” she said.

Jaysh al-Thuwar is an opposition group from Idlib. The members of the group had to retreat to Shehba because of the attacks by Turkish supported Al-Nusra and other gangs.

Now the group is preparing to return to Idlib. Very likely with an all-woman military unit by their side.