YPJ fighters on Deir ez-Zor frontline | Deir ez-Zor Governorate, Syria, 2017
YPG female fighters on "Doshka" (DShK 1938 - soviet made heavy machine gun widely used all over middle eastern conflicts, also in Syria) close to Regime lines and, during our stay, also lasting Daesh (Islamic State) enclaves among Euphrates river (day after lasting villages were cleared from ISIS militants by SDF forces with help of the USA led coalition airstrikes).
Very close (3-6km) to this place in this year (2018) and also even couple days ago heavy fights between SDF (mostly Arabs and Kurds) and Syrian regime forces and pro-Assad militias erupted. It's hard to say if it was directed by Damascus or it was autonomous decision of lover rank leaders, not directly related to government army. Anyway it is very visible sign that only thing which was unifying Assad and Kurds was Daesh. Without it is obvious that conflict is inevitable which these short but pretty intense (as for Syrian Civil War realities) clashes show it clearly.
Women in Kurdish forces are well known but we should be aware that women also fight in many Islamic groups (even in HTS (Nusra) and Daesh) and many other rebels groups. Sure Kurds made it very common and universal thing using it in the propaganda way which is showing so different attitude towards women rights in Kurdish controlled territories (which actually is true, women have much more rights in Rojava than in rebel held areas, with Assad it is hard to compare because Rojava is generally poor and is basing on agriculture so also is is conservative).
Steepshot