More female Peshmerga join front lines

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan24) – More than 200 female Peshmerga fighters participated in a technical military training course at the Military Academy of Zakho, in Duhok Province.

Lieutenant Colonel Khoshnav Mohammed explained to Kurdisan24, “The twenty-first Zakho Academic course is specialized to train 200 female Peshmerga fighters who [upon completion] will receive a BA degree in Military Science and become lieutenant officers.”

Khoshnav added said that the female Peshmerga joined the one-year course in April 2015. “[These] female soldiers have been trained to use heavy and light weapons and received lessons relevant to today’s war on terror,” he said.

One of the female Peshmerga who participated in the course told Kurdistan24, “For us, women are no different than men in defending Kurdistan; they support the other Peshmerga forces on the frontlines,” adding, “We have practical and theoretical training with various types of weapons.”

"We are proud to be part of this military training, and we are proud that we will graduate soon to join the fight against terror," another female Peshmerga affirmed.

In April 2015, Masoud Barzani, the Kurdistan Region President and Commander-in-Chief of Armed Forces, ordered the opening of military training courses for over 200 female Peshmerga officers for the first time.

In October 2015, Barzani visited the Military Academy of Zakho.

During a visit to the military academy, President Barzani said, “We must train women in military sciences alongside our men so that they too, can participate in defending Kurdistan Region.”

Reporting by Nia’mat Marounsy and Baxtiyar Goran
Editing by Karzan Sulaivany and Benjamin Kweskin