Kurdish women volunteer to fight IS
Among 200 volunteered people equipped by the Peshmerga Ministry of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), 20 of them are females fighting against Islamic State (IS) insurgents on the Nawaran frontline in northern Mosul Province - Iraq
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (K24) – Among 200 volunteers equipped by the Peshmerga Ministry of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), 20 of them are females fighting against Islamic State (IS) insurgents on the Nawaran frontline in northern Mosul Province, Iraq.
The 200 volunteered Peshmerga call themselves Heza Agiri, which translates to the “Force of Fire”. The 20 women are militarily trained with the use of different weapons including light and medium ones, and are eager to defend the Kurdistan Region and fight IS insurgents alongside other Peshmerga fighters.
Hiran Zaxoyi, accompanied by her son and daughter, is one of the female Peshmerga fighters on the Nawaran front. “My brother, father, and uncle were all martyred as Peshmerga fighters. I came here to follow their doctrine, to defend our land [Kurdistan Region] and honor, hand in hand with our Peshmerga brothers,” she told K24 on Monday.
Zaxoyi noted that this is the main reason that “my daughter, son and I are here now” on the frontline.
Fariba Ali is another female fighter who lived in Iran for decades as a refugee. She returned to the Kurdistan Region eight years ago. She stated that as a Kurdish female fighter, she is ready to fight IS insurgents alongside other Peshmerga fighters, “It is an honor for me to fight enemies [IS] hand in hand with our Peshmerga brothers.”
"The international community should know that Kurdish women from any part of the world are ready to help Peshmerga forces in defending Kurdistan [Region],” Ali said.
Dlin Dilshad is another female fighter who has been fighting IS on the frontline for three months. “My father was a Peshmerga fighter, martyred in the last decade. I found it necessary to follow his doctrine. We [female fighters] fight as a defense shield for Kurdistan [Region] alongside Peshmerga forces,” she said.
Samira Jadir, a Peshmerga fighter on the same front, told K24 that Kurdish female fighters have joined Peshmerga from different cities of the Kurdistan Region. “We [Female fighters] feel proud to defend our soil [Kurdistan Region],” Jadir concluded.