Outrage grows after Syrian regime militant shows off braids of killed Kurdish woman

ERBIL —  Kurdish women across the world have launched a hair braiding campaign in response to a video showing a Syrian pro-government militant holding the braid of a slain Kurdish woman. The brutal act has sparked widespread condemnation and prompted women to post videos of themselves braiding their hair in solidarity with the victim and to protest ongoing violence against Kurds in Rojava, northeastern Syria.

The video, widely circulated online, shows an Arab militant entering a room holding a long braid. He smiles and mockingly speaks with another fighter about how he obtained it. “This is the hair of a haval,” he says, using the Kurdish term for of friend or comrade. The second militant, who is filming, asks, “Why did you cut the hair?” The first responds, “She was already dead.”

In Kurdish culture, braided hair symbolizes strength and dignity for women. Cutting it from a slain woman is seen not only as an act of brutality, but also as a deep cultural violation.

In solidarity, Kurdish women have been sharing a slogan: “If you cut one braid, we will braid thousands more,” with some calling the campaign “Revolution of the Braid.”

Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces have accused Syrian government forces and allied Islamist factions of committing war crimes, including beheadings, mutilation and other atrocities against Kurdish fighters and civilians.

Among the SDF, Kurdish women play a central role, as fighters, commanders, and political leaders. Many of those now posting braid videos emphasize that their strength and presence are seen as a threat by the current Syrian government, extremist groups, ISIS and Syrian Islamist militias, which have long targeted women who defy their ideology.

The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, backed by the U.S.-led coalition and central to the campaign that dismantled the Islamic State’s territorial control in 2019.