People's Defense Units
mainly-Kurdish militia in Syria
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Summary
People's Defense Units is a militia[1]. It ranks in the top 5% of militia entities by monthly Wikipedia readership (3,477 views/month).[2]
Key Facts
- Ethnic group: Kurds[3]
- Country: Syria[4]
- Instance of: military unit[5]
- Official language: Kurdish[6]
- Headquarters location: Syria[7]
- Flag: flag of the People's Protection Units[8]
- Part of: Syrian Democratic Forces[9]
- Commons category: People's Protection Units[10]
- Inception: 2004[11]
- Dissolved, abolished or demolished date: August 25, 2026[12]
- Participated in conflict: Siege of Kobanî[13], Syrian Civil War[14], Battle of Aleppo[15], Iraqi Civil War of 2014–2017[16]
- Has cause: Turkish military operation in Afrin[17]
- Official website: https://www.ypgrojava.org/english[18]
- Topic's main category: Category:People's Protection Units[19]
- Allegiance: Democratic Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria[20], Democratic Union Party[21]
- Has effect: Turkish military operation in Afrin[22]
- Native label: Yekîneyên Parastina Gel[23]
- Different from: People's Defence Forces[24]
- Hashtag: YPG[25]
- Designated as terrorist by: Turkey[26]
- Enemy: Islamic State[27]
- Social media followers: 68,172[28], 61,269[29], 68,747[30], 68,811[31]
Why It Matters
People's Defense Units has Wikipedia articles in 25 language editions, a strong signal of global cultural recognition.[32] It is known by 39 alternative names across languages and contexts.[33]