Kimberley Taylor Becomes First British Woman To Travel To Syria To Fight Isis

'I’m willing to give my life for this.'

A 27-year-old from Blackburn is believed to have become the first British woman to travel to Syria to fight so-called Islamic State.

Kimberley Taylor has reportedly joined Kurdish forces in Raqqa to fight on the frontline against extremists from the terror group.

She left the UK in March to join the Women’s Protection Units (YPJ), the all-female affiliate army of the People’s Protection Units (YPG).

Kimberley Taylor becomes first British woman to travel to Syria to fight Isis.
Kimberley Taylor becomes first British woman to travel to Syria to fight Isis.
BBC

“I’m willing to give my life for this,” she told the Guardian.

“It’s for the whole world, for humanity and all oppressed people, everywhere.

“It’s not just [Isis’s] killing and raping. It’s its systematic mental and physical torture on a scale we can’t imagine.”

Last month it was revealed that Ryan Lock, a 20-year-old chef from Chichester who was fighting against Isis in Syria, took his own life to avoid being taken hostage and used as a propaganda tool.

Raqqa became Isis’s de facto capital in 2014 and is a key battleground between the terror group and the coalition Syrian Democratic Forces.

Taylor, a former maths pupil at the University of Liverpool, said she spent 11 months learning Kurdish and studying regional politics, weaponry and battlefield tactics at the YPJ.

She told the BBC: “Everyone here sees the YPJ as leaders of the revolution, they’re women that we can’t compare with anything in the world.”

She added: “This is for the freedom of all people and this is for humanity.”

Writing on her Facebook page on Friday, Taylor described an attack carried out by Isis extremists at her base.

Her post reads: “Wake up call this morning at 4am when Isis attacked our base.

“We put up an incredible fight for three hours. Just two friends slightly injured. I’m so proud to call these people my comrades. We fight with unconditional resistance.

“I won’t go into details about the attack because it super gory. (sic)

“Another base was attacked, 4 comrades were martyred. At the very front, 2 comrades were martyred.

“You gave your lives for peace, democracy, and humanity. Your memory will live on in the revolution.”

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