The YPJ (Women's Protection Units) began in 2013 with 7,000 Kurdish, Arabic, and foreign volunteer fighters and has since grown to 24,000 fighters located across four battalions in northern Syria. The YPJ relies on local communities, the Kurdistan regional government, and U.S. support for supplies and food as they fight to establish safety, freedom, autonomy, and equality for all, regardless of religion or nationality, by battling ISIS and threats from Turkey.