In Syria, A School Teacher Becomes Sniper In War Against ISIS

Isis is not just a terrorist group, it's a military force that's holding about a third of Iraq and Syria. It tries to keep reporters out by beheading them. But CBS News' Holly Williams managed to reach a village where Kurdish civilians are fighting back. Here's her report.

ByHolly WilliamsCBS NewsFebruary 4, 2015, 7:21 PM

KOBANI, Syria -- Kurdish fighters that we spoke with haven't seen a single airstrike, though ISIS is just four miles away and has flattened the village below with months of shelling. They're farmers, housewives and shopkeepers - volunteers relying on guns bought on the black market.


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School teacher turned sniper Denis Sipan
CBS News

"If we didn't do it, the whole place will be full of ISIS, and they'll destroy everything," Denis Sipan told me.

Sipan quit her job as an elementary school teacher five months ago to become a sniper on the front line - but they're so under equipped she has to share her gun with another fighter.

"What would it take for you to give up the battle here and retreat?" I asked her.

"I don't think that's going to happen," she told me. "I need to protect myself, my friends, my people, and my country."

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