June 28, 2014
Sulaymaniah, Iraq
Paxshan Omer (Centre) shares a joke with other female Peshmerga fighters as they camouflage their faces with mud during training.
June 28, 2014
Sulaymaniah, Iraq
Female Peshmerga fighters, including Paxshan Omer (37), perform a drill at the Farmanday Peshmerga base.
June 28, 2014
Sulaymaniah, Iraq
Female Peshmerga fighters, including Paxshan Omer (37), perform a drill at the Farmanday Peshmerga base.
June 28, 2014
Sulaymaniah, Iraq
Paxshan Omer salutes Captain Jwan Mohammad, the officer in charge of training female Peshmerga.
June 28, 2014
Sulaymaniah, Iraq
Paxshan Omer laughs as she sits in a defensive position waiting to ambush an enemy team during training at the Farmanday Peshmerga base.
June 28, 2014
Sulaymaniah, Iraq
Female Peshmerga fighters aim their Kalashnikov assault rifles at a makeshift defensive position, during training.
June 28, 2014
Sulaymaniah, Iraq
Female Peshmerga, including Paxshan Omer (front row left) stand to attention during drill.
June 28, 2014
Sulaymaniah, Iraq
Female Peshmerga, including Paxshan Omer (front row left) stand to attention during drill.
July 28, 2014
Sulaymaniah, Iraq
Holding her Kalashnikov, Paxshan Omer, walks between the buildings of the Farmanday Peshmerga base, as she prepares to carry out a training session.
June 28, 2014
Sulaymaniah, Iraq
Female Peshmerga, Paxshan Omer (Centre Standing), and her comrades practice taking prisoners during training.
Husam (19, FSA) hurriedly gets dressed when the rumor of a Kurdish People's Defense Unit (YPG) attack spreads. The attack did not occur, and a few hours later all the rebels were back in bed. Husam strongly believes Assad should be removed. He also believes the YPG is trying to split up Syria, something he will fight against, as well.
Osama and Haitem prepare newly delivered kalashnikovs and ammunition. The FSA command structure decides who receives which weapons. As Osama's brigade is relatively small (50 men) they don't get as many heavy weapons as they would want. Usama had a hard time getting proper weaponry from the FSA leaders of the Hasaka district. Many of Osama's men would prefer to fight for Jabhat al Nusra, as they have good weapons and claim many victories. In the last fights in Ras al Ayn, they fought together with Nusra as allies.
Husam (19, Free Syrian Army) patrols a street, expecting a YPG attack. It is not clear if Husam was among the 9-15 dead in the most recent fighting in Ras al Ayn.
The YPG now call the town Serekaniye, its Kurdish name.
Inside the YPG training camp.
Inside the YPG training camp.
"Clack clack clack...clack clack clack," shouts Ralph Severe as he points his camouflaged Kalashnikov assault rifle past his "Survivalism" students, transitions to his pistol and spirals his massive frame to the floor and into a gymnastic roll.