HASAKEH, SYRIA - SEPTEMBER 8: YPJ fighters watch news on the television on September 8, 2026 in Hasakeh, Syria. Female Kurdish fighters in Syria have been negotiating with the country's new government to retain a combat role, following a security overhaul in which Kurdish-forces are to be integrated into regular Syrian forces. The Women's Protection Units, or YPJ according to their Kurdish initials, have been allies of the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic ‌Forces (SDF) during the country's long civil war and in the fight with the Islamic State group in Syria's northeast. (Photo by Anagha Subhash Nair/Getty Images)