The People's Defense Units, also called People's Protection Units (Kurdish: Yekîneyên Parastina Gel, یەکینەیێن پاراستنا گەل (YPG) pronounced [jɛkiːnɛjeːn pɑːɾɑːstɯnɑː ɡɛl]; Arabic: وحدات حماية الشعب, romanized: Waḥdāt Ḥimāyat ašŠaʽb), is a mainlyKurdish militia in Syria and the primary component of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).