In northern and central Afghanistan, women have taken up arms, taking to the streets in their hundreds and sharing pictures of themselves with assault rifles on social media. At the same time, the Taliban's nationwide advance continues. One of the largest demonstrations took place in the central province of Ghor, where hundreds of women took to the streets over the weekend, brandishing weapons and chanting anti-Taliban slogans.

The women's movement in Rojava, Kongra Star declared solidarity with the women's resistance in Afghanistan, quoting Abdullah Öcalan: "Women's self-defense is a very serious issue that cannot be left to the mercy of men."

The solidarity message reads as follows:

“We as Kongra Star send revolutionary greetings and our solidarity from Rojava to our sisters in Afghanistan. The current developments in Afghanistan surrounding the deal between the USA and Taliban are a cause for concern, but the images in recent weeks of women from Afghanistan taking their defense into their own hands if necessary give hope and strength.

With the so-called peace agreement between the Taliban and America, the Taliban with their Islamist and misogynist views are gaining legitimacy from the international state community. As a result of this agreement, more and more Taliban prisoners are being released from jails. This has brought with it an increase in violence against women. In particular, women who are vanguards, activists and journalists are targeted deathly. The strengthening of the Taliban in Afghanistan threatens the freedom and livelihood of women in particular and the people in general. In the face of these attacks on women’s freedom and security, women must organize from the grassroots and take charge of peace building and self-defense in the broadest sense.

We cannot rely on the same states and actors that created all this oppression to undo it. As Abdullah Ocalan said, “Women’s self-defense is a very serious issue that cannot be left to the mercy of men”. The fact that the patriarchal systems will always oppose freedom means for us that it is necessary to organize ourselves to defend ourselves against them. Resistance wins where it is organized; where concrete, sustainable structures of self-defense are built. It is important that women organize autonomously in self-defense and other structures.

Since the beginning of patriarchy, the male mentality wants us to believe that women cannot defend themselves. But the past, as well as the present, provides many examples to the contrary. Here in all parts of Kurdistan, too, women are fighting back against oppression and patriarchal attacks. Especially in Rojava when ISIS attacked Kobane in 2014, the women’s defense units of the YPJ were essential forces for the beginning of the end of ISIS.

In order to defend ourselves against all kinds of patriarchal and misogynist attacks, we need to organize. The more we get organized, the more we will be able to defend our lives, our ideas, our hopes and our dreams against misogyny. The images of Afghan women taking to the streets to show that they are able and ready to defend themselves against the Taliban and all other patriarchal forces give hope and strength. An attack on a woman, whether in Afghanistan or anywhere else, is an attack on all women, so their struggle is our struggle. We are convinced that the attitude of the united forces of women for freedom, their’.

Jin Jiyan Azadî [Woman, Life, Freedom]”