Meet the former model who switched careers – joined defense forces to fight ISIS

Hanna Tiger Bohman is a former Canandian Model, who made a bold step towards fighting terrorism in her country, in another country and also all over the world.

She joined the YPJ – a Kurdish military unit consisting of females only, in order to fight the Islamic State located in the north of Syria.

According to Hanna, she says the reason why she decided to join the YPJ was that she felt that ISIS was an inconvenience and also fighting for women’s rights, which is the first and foremost purpose of the YPJ. She says that women in Syria are tired of being forced into marriages and being looked at as baby making machines.

Although she says that being labeled as a former model in insulting to her because it was a career she never made a life out of, was very sexist and that it wasn’t going in the direction she’d hoped for.

In her own words she says “Just because you are a woman and you are willing to take up a weapon and fight for something you believe in does not mean you are any less of a woman. You can still be a feminine girl and enjoy all those parts of you. ”

Hanna was well conversant with weapons way before she joined the YPJ – she used to go hunting in the prairies while she still lived in Canada. When she shoots at someone, she tries not to look at them as people but as animals – because to her ISIS is just another animal.

Going back to the Middle East for her was special because she wanted to help people succeed, be the change she wanted to see in the world. However, she did warn anyone who is willing to join the defense forces that they should be comfortable with the idea that they could to die.

Hanna is an inspiration to many.