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YPG

a soldier in front of a prison

Turkey eyes a new military operation in northern Syria, leaving people in the area on edge

Military

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan says he plans to establish an 18-mile “safe zone” in northern Syria to counter a US-backed Kurdish group. Erdoğan considers the People’s Protection Units, or the YPG, a threat to the security of his country.

Macer Gifford, a British volunteer who joined the Kurds in the fight against ISIS in Syria.

British volunteers in Syria took on ISIS. Now they face possible arrest back home.

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Syrian Democratic Forces fighters dance along a street in Raqqa, Syria, on Oct. 18, 2017.

Raqqa liberated from ISIS: ‘My city is now ruined and burned down’

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A US armed forces member stands near a military vehicle, north of Raqqa, Syria on Nov. 6.

US-backed forces launch assault on ISIS ‘capital’ in Syria

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Turkish army tanks and Turkish-backed Syrian rebel fighters make their way in the Syrian border town of Jarablus on Aug. 24.

Turkey sends more tanks into Syria to fight ISIS — and to block US-backed Kurds

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YPJ_leadpic

These women are taking the fight against ISIS into their own hands

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The fight against ISIS has consumed Iraq and Syria. Many women have answered the call to try and roll back the terrorists’ forces, including this all-women group called the YPJ.

A fighter from the Kurdish People's Protection Units, or YPG, flashes a victory sign as he patrols the streets in the northern Syrian town of Kobane on January 28, 2015.

Antique weapons combined with high-tech airpower pushed ISIS out of Kobane

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Kurdish troops carried antique weapons and homemade tanks into battle against ISIS. But if it wasn’t for the massive airpower aiding them, ISIS would still control an important town in Syria.

One of the first US volunteers with the YPG was Jordan Matson, from Racine, Wisc.

Anti-ISIS groups take in surfers and other Western volunteers

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There are now several dozen Westerners who have gone to Syria and volunteered for Kurdish militias fighting ISIS. And while many have military experience, some are simply outraged neophytes eager to help fight the jihadi group.

Jordan Matson's profile picture on Facebook

A veteran from Wisconsin explains why he joined the fight against ISIS

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Jordan Matson, from Racine, Wisconsin, was once a soldier in the US Army. Today Matson is a volunteer fighter with a Kurdish militia in northern Syria, fighting against ISIS and hoping to bring more Americans over to join the war.