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Captain Ronahi Anduk, 34, left, Gian Dirik, center, and Dirsim Judi, 18, right, work on the Dushka weapon at the YPJ center in the town of Til Colture, on the border of Syria and Kurdistan on Aug. 9, 2014. The YPJ, pronounced “Ya-Pa-Jah” in Kurdish, founded in 2011, is a vigilante non-government military unit formed by the Kurdish citizens of Roshava, a province of Kurd citizens in Syria, with the mission of protecting the citizens of of the region. The YPJ's creed is protect all people, regardless of race and religion, which has made them one of the leading forces battling IS in Syria and Kurdistan, while also aiding the Peshmerga and the PKK. The YPJ and YPG (men's unit) is responsible for evacuating thousands of Yiziti refugees who were stranded in the mountains of Shingel without food or water for over a week. There are about 7,000 – 8,000 women fighteres in the YPJ. (Photo by Erin Trieb/NBC News)
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