Kurdish Female Force Ready To Battle Militants

By Sherine Tadros, Middle East Correspondent, in Sulaymaniyah

Three hours from Irbil, in the mountains of Sulamaniya, Kurdish Peshmerga forces are training hard. They are well-armed, disciplined and ready to fight to defend Kurdistan.

But these are not your ordinary Peshmerga. This is the elite women's force.

Colonel Rasheed decided to start the women's unit so she could help defeat former president Saddam Hussein after his militias killed her uncle.

Her three brothers are Peshmerga and fighting in Kirkuk right now.

At the moment the troops are protecting towns and villages

"We told the commanders in Kirkuk we are ready to fight against ISIS," she told Sky News.

"The female forces have combat experience and we have had the same training as the men.

"It's our responsibility too."

Their main task though is to help protect town centres and villages.

There are only around 600 recruits - but what they lack in numbers they make up for in sheer determination.

The division started in 1997

Nineteen-year-old Daria says all she ever wanted to do was join the force; her mother is also a fighter.

"I became a Peshmerga to protect Kurdistan against the enemies who want to attack us, we have to stay united at this time," Daria said.

Kurdish female fighters have a long history in this region and the PKK's female guerrillas have become an effective and well known fighting force.

The Peshmerga women's division started in 1997.

There is a long history of Kurdish female fighters in the region

For the recruits it is a source of pride and national duty.

First they fought against Saddam loyalists and then al Qaeda fighters.

Now they say they are ready to fight against Islamist militants if needed.

As the Iraqi Army continues to fracture, so far the Peshmerga have managed to stick together, putting the security of Kurdistan above religion and politics.

They are a united force in a divided country.

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