London, Asharq Al-Awsat- A group of women from the city of Homs have announced the formation of the “Banat al-Walid” battalion; the first female armed organization to fight against the regime in Syria. A statement declaring the formation of the battalion claimed that it was not affiliated to any other organization or militant entity.

In a video posted by activists yesterday on the internet, a woman speaking on behalf of around 10 other veiled women said: “we are a group of women from Homs and we have formed the Banat al-Walid battalion”. She added that “this battalion’s mission is to help the wounded and refugees wherever they are, to train women to use various types of weapons to protect themselves from al-Assad’s gangs, and to follow-up the regime’s crimes and ensure they are published and exposed in the media”. As for the reasons behind the formation of the battalion, the woman, who was reading the statement from a computer, said: “crimes committed against the Syrian people in general and women in particular, the forced displacement of unarmed civilians by al-Assad’s gangs – forcing them to leave their homes and stealing their property, and the continuing sniper attacks on the free Syrian people carried out by the Shabiha, Iranian mercenaries and elements of Hezbollah, despite the presence of international observers”. At the end of the brief statement, the spokeswoman confirmed that the battalion “does not belong to any other organization or militant entity”.

Although this is not the first time that Syrian women have declared their intentions to bear arms, this is the first time that the formation of a female “battalion” has been announced, with specific goals and tasks. About a week ago, activists broadcasted a video showing a veiled woman from Homs in a besieged neighborhood, sending a message to President al-Assad that the women of Homs had become “impregnated” with weapons, concluding her message by firing a gun she was carrying on her shoulder. However, this video did not receive much publicity, hence yesterday came the announcement of the formation of the “Banat al-Walid” battalion.

There are indications that the new battalion consists of female nurses and doctors working in field hospitals in Homs, who have previously made frantic distress calls after their hospitals were destroyed and it became difficult to treat the wounded numbers. Despite this, they have never declared their intention to surrender, stop their work or leave their besieged neighborhood. Activists say that women in the besieged neighborhoods of Homs are just as active as men in the areas of aid and relief, and that women are at greater risk of kidnap and detention. In recent times the rate of kidnappings has increased alarmingly and dozens of women have already been subjected to horrific rapes and murder.

The Banat al-Walid activists sought to give their YouTube video a title that would “challenge and humiliate the men who have remained silent about the regime’s crimes”. Hence they named it: “Shave off your mustaches, the Banat al-Walid battalion has been formed in Homs”, in the sense that the women of Homs can defend themselves and do not need men.

Human Rights Watch confirmed in a report this week that “government forces have used rape and other sexual violence against men, women and children during the Syrian uprising”. The organization said that “it had recorded 20 incidents from interviews inside and outside Syria with eight victims, including four women, and more than 25 other people with knowledge of sexual abuse – including medical workers, former detainees, army defectors, and women’s rights activists”. Sarah Leah Whitson, Human Rights Watch’s Middle East director, said that “the assaults are not limited to detention facilities – government forces and pro-government shabiha militia members have also sexually assaulted women and girls during home raids and residential sweeps”.