A popular Kurdish female fighter who allegedly killed more than 100 Islamic State terrorists single-handedly in the battle for Kobani has reportedly been beheaded by the terrorist organization, also known as ISIS, Breitbart reported.
The fight to keep Kobani, a strategically important border town that would allow for almost complete border access between Syria and Turkey, out of the hands of the Islamic State, has so far proven to be arduous and bloody.
Earlier this month, the female fighter made headlines after a photo showing her holding up a peace sign at the camera went viral. "Rehana has killed more than a hundred #ISIS terrorists in #Kobane. RT and make her famous for her bravery," Pawan Durani posted on Oct. 13, according to Breitbart.
Shortly after the image was released, rumors began to circulate that she had been killed in battle. However, neither her death nor the number of ISIS militants she has allegedly killed had been verified independently by news sources.
But now, a new picture of an ISIS militant holding her head is making the rounds on social media, leading to speculations that she has been beheaded. But once again, the death has not been confirmed.
Belonging to the Yekineyen Parastina Jin, or Women Protection Units (YPJ), an operative unit in both Syria and Iraq fighting to keep the Syrian border town of Kobani out of the hands of ISIS militants, Rehana has reportedly been working under the command of famed female soldier Mayssa Abdo, who has gained popularity as the YPJ leader.
The YPJ is an all-female, independent militia, which at the frontline embrace arms along with their male "comrades" of the People's Protection Units, according to International Business Times.
The contingency gained international attention after one of YPJ's fighters, 20-year-old Dilar Gencxemis, blew herself up in the midst of a Kobani battle, killing as many as 23 ISIS fighters.
Since Islamic State jihadists believe that they will not attain the promised gifts of the afterlife if they die at the hands of a woman, the female fighter's accomplishments stand as more pronounced.
"These [ISIS] soldiers apparently believed that if they were killed in battle, they went to paradise as long as they were killed by a man," said Rep. Ed Royce (R-CA), who chairs the U.S. House International Relations Committee. "And these female soldiers were communicating their satisfaction with the fact that they had taken the fight to ISIL and had stopped the advance, turned back the advance -- slayed a number of these fighters, who would then run away."
Meanwhile, in what appears as a desperate fight for survival for Kurdish forces, an estimated 10,000 female Peshmerga fighters are being relied upon to protect and save the town. Col. Nahida Ahmed described YPS's daily training as intensive, also noting that many fighters had battle experience even before organizing against the Islamic State in recent months, he said in an interview with BBC.
