AIN ISSA // In the Syrian village of Skero, two groups of Kurdish fighters face off with ISIL, which occupies the villages and compounds beyond the deep trench that demarcates the Kurdish frontline.
One is a People’s Protection Units (YPG) platoon, men of the armed wing of the PYD. The other is a platoon of fighters from the Women’s Protection Units (YPJ), the YPG’s female counterpart.
The female fighters of Rojava – a Kurdish-controlled autonomous region in north Syria – have shot to international fame.
Inspired by the ideology of Turkey’s Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), they have broken with the region’s conservative social norms to fight on equal terms alongside the men.
Behind an earthern berm that surrounds the position at Skero, men and women in combat fatigues sit together chatting and sharing jokes.
The men smoke, the women do not, one of the few gender distinctions to survive at the front. Kalashnikovs are propped against an oil barrel alongside a rocket-propelled-grenade launcher.
In a machine-gun nest on top of the berm, a female fighter surveys the no man’s land. The camaraderie is real, as is the strong esprit de corps amongst the fighters – male and female.
“I am not afraid of dying, my only worry is that something will happen to my comrades,” says one of the women.
The YPJ fighters know what to expect if they are captured by ISIL. They would rather die than fall into the hands of the extremists, who brutally raped and enslaved thousands of Yazidi girls after attacking the Sinjar region in August last year.
But the unforgiving conflict and the barbarity of their enemies has done little to dampen the morale of the uniformed women at Skero.
In joining the YPJ, they have pledged their lives to a cause.
The Kurdish women fighters have vowed to remain celibate and never marry in a bid to escape the strictures of traditional society, where women are often treated as inferior to men, and have little say over their lives.
“When I think about Apo, I think of freedom,” says Hezel, a young YPJ fighter at Skero, referring to Abdullah Ocalan, the PKK leader now jailed in Turkey.
“At the front I am free, in society I wasn’t.”
foreign.desk@thenational.ae
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Afghanistan Premier League - at a glance
Venue: Sharjah Cricket Stadium
Fixtures:
Tue, Oct 16, 8pm: Kandahar Knights v Kabul Zwanan; Wed, Oct 17, 4pm: Balkh Legends v Nangarhar Leopards; 8pm: Kandahar Knights v Paktia Panthers; Thu, Oct 18, 4pm: Balkh Legends v Kandahar Knights; 8pm: Kabul Zwanan v Paktia Panthers; Fri, Oct 19, 8pm: First semi-final; Sat, Oct 20, 8pm: Second semi-final; Sun, Oct 21, 8pm: final
Table:
1. Balkh Legends 6 5 1 10
2. Paktia Panthers 6 4 2 8
3. Kabul Zwanan 6 3 3 6
4. Nagarhar Leopards 7 2 5 4
5. Kandahar Knights 5 1 4 2
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Thank You for Banking with Us
Director: Laila Abbas
Starring: Yasmine Al Massri, Clara Khoury, Kamel El Basha, Ashraf Barhoum
Rating: 4/5
10 tips for entry-level job seekers
- Have an up-to-date, professional LinkedIn profile. If you don’t have a LinkedIn account, set one up today. Avoid poor-quality profile pictures with distracting backgrounds. Include a professional summary and begin to grow your network.
- Keep track of the job trends in your sector through the news. Apply for job alerts at your dream organisations and the types of jobs you want – LinkedIn uses AI to share similar relevant jobs based on your selections.
- Double check that you’ve highlighted relevant skills on your resume and LinkedIn profile.
- For most entry-level jobs, your resume will first be filtered by an applicant tracking system for keywords. Look closely at the description of the job you are applying for and mirror the language as much as possible (while being honest and accurate about your skills and experience).
- Keep your CV professional and in a simple format – make sure you tailor your cover letter and application to the company and role.
- Go online and look for details on job specifications for your target position. Make a list of skills required and set yourself some learning goals to tick off all the necessary skills one by one.
- Don’t be afraid to reach outside your immediate friends and family to other acquaintances and let them know you are looking for new opportunities.
- Make sure you’ve set your LinkedIn profile to signal that you are “open to opportunities”. Also be sure to use LinkedIn to search for people who are still actively hiring by searching for those that have the headline “I’m hiring” or “We’re hiring” in their profile.
- Prepare for online interviews using mock interview tools. Even before landing interviews, it can be useful to start practising.
- Be professional and patient. Always be professional with whoever you are interacting with throughout your search process, this will be remembered. You need to be patient, dedicated and not give up on your search. Candidates need to make sure they are following up appropriately for roles they have applied.
Arda Atalay, head of Mena private sector at LinkedIn Talent Solutions, Rudy Bier, managing partner of Kinetic Business Solutions and Ben Kinerman Daltrey, co-founder of KinFitz
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21 Lessons for the 21st Century
Yuval Noah Harari, Jonathan Cape
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Jigra
Starring: Alia Bhatt, Vedang Raina, Manoj Pahwa, Harsh Singh
