Women train with AK-47s to defend the streets of Baghdad
The Badr Brigade, a Shiite militia comprised of 10,000 members, is teaching women basic marksmanship in the event that ISIL terrorists converge on Baghdad. (Image: CNN screenshot)
In one hand, Zahra Hassan clutches a purse that matches her red blouse and skirt trimmed in blue.
In the other, she holds an AK-47.
Peering through her blue veiled hijab, the traditional Muslim head cover, the petite 25-year-old watches as the man in a military uniform with no insignia shows her how to switch off the rifle’s safety, take aim and fire.
Then it’s her turn. In red ballerina flats, she positions herself, levels the AK-47 toward a thick patch of date palms and pulls the trigger. Bang! The feel of the weapon discharging a round startles her a bit.
“Then you turn the safety on and lower the weapon,” the man tells her. She follows his instruction.
This is day one of a five-day course being offered by the Badr Brigade, a powerful Shiite militia with an estimated 10,000 members, to the wives, mothers, sisters and daughters of the group.
Hassan is not training to go to the front line to fight the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria and its allied Sunni militants, but rather to defend her home if the terror group makes its way into Baghdad and ignites sectarian fighting in the streets.
With most of the men in her family leaving home to volunteer to fight ISIS and its allies, Hassan says she has no choice now but to learn how to fight.
“I must do this,” she says.
More than 450 women have been through the training since the group started it this year, a step that was taken after ISIS began its battle for the flashpoint city of Falluja in Anbar province — a battle that was a bellwether of things to come in Iraq.
And thousands more are waiting, says Maj. Kareem Abdullah of the Badr Brigade, sitting in his office in a fortified compound in Yarmouk, a mixed Shiite-Sunni neighborhood in Baghdad.
The number of women volunteers swelled in June after ISIS seized Iraq’s second-largest city, Mosul, and then began a march on the Iraqi capital, vowing to hit the city of more than 7 million people and overthrow the Shiite-dominated government.
“We are training these ladies to make them ready if (ISIS) makes it into their neighborhood,” Abdullah said.
“They will be the ones who have to defend their home.”
Hassan remembers the sectarian fighting — Shiite vs. Sunni, sometimes neighbor vs. neighbor — at the height of the Iraq War that nearly tore the country apart.
Her older brother, 36-year-old Ali Hassan, was among the thousands who reportedly disappeared during the fighting.
The last time she ever saw him was the morning of May 28, 2007, when he left their home in Mahmoudiya, a Sunni-dominated city of about 500,000 people dubbed the “Gateway to Baghdad” because of its proximity to the Iraqi capital.
She doesn’t know what happened to him. But she and her family believe he was a victim of the sectarian fighting.
“Maybe somebody kidnapped him?” she says, looking down at the gun in her hand. “Maybe he was killed in an explosion?”
Ask any of the women, who range between the ages of 14 and 60, at the Badr Brigade training center if their family has a “martyr” — somebody who has been killed in the fighting — and nearly three-quarters of the hands go up.
Ask if any of them know of anybody who’s one, and everybody’s hands go up.
Jaffar Hassan is the man in the military uniform instructing the women. He is not related to Zahra Hassan, but she could be his daughter.
By the time the week is done, he says, the women will be proficient enough to protect themselves and, if necessary, kill.
Teen learning to protect her family
Fourteen-year-old Ageel Fadhil sits against the trunk of a towering date palm, listening to Hassan. An AK-47 lays across her lap.
Her tender age is evident by the white hijab she wears. The other women, all older, wear hijabs in dark colors. Her mother, Shama, already knows how to use the weapon. She is an Iraqi police officer, one of the thousands of women who were trained in such roles when the U.S. military was standing up Iraq’s military.
She also was among the first to complete the Badr Brigade training, and today she is helping to instruct the women at the training center to handle the weapons.
Ageel must learn how to protect the family, specifically her 7-year-old brother Ali, she says. “When her father and I are at work, what is she going to do if someone comes in the house to kill them?”
With school out for the summer, most of Ageel’s friends, she says, are watching television and reading magazines. She asked them to volunteer with her, but only a few did, she said.
When its Ageel’s turn to fire, she moves to the front of the group.
“So I take aim like this, and I get ready to fire,” Hassan says, lifting the AK-47 and leveling it toward the trees. “Then I fire.”
He hands it to Ageel, who follows his instruction. She squeezes the trigger. Bang!
Nice shot, he tells her.
Her mother, wearing a green camouflage headscarf that matches her uniform, smiles at her and gently pats her on her back.
It’s not what a mother wishes for her daughter, Shama Fadhil said. “But in Iraq, this is the reality.”
By the end of the lesson, Ageel appears more at ease with the AK-47, cradling the weapon in her arm — just like she has seen soldiers on the streets do.
But could she kill somebody? Could she point the gun at somebody and pull the trigger?
She thinks about the questions for a moment and then looks to her mother before she answers.
“If God wills it, yes,” she says.
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
The Badr Brigade, a Shiite militia comprised of 10,000 members, is teaching women basic marksmanship in the event that ISIL terrorists converge on Baghdad. (Image: CNN screenshot)
In one hand, Zahra Hassan clutches a purse that matches her red blouse and skirt trimmed in blue.
In the other, she holds an AK-47.
Peering through her blue veiled hijab, the traditional Muslim head cover, the petite 25-year-old watches as the man in a military uniform with no insignia shows her how to switch off the rifle’s safety, take aim and fire.
Then it’s her turn. In red ballerina flats, she positions herself, levels the AK-47 toward a thick patch of date palms and pulls the trigger. Bang! The feel of the weapon discharging a round startles her a bit.
“Then you turn the safety on and lower the weapon,” the man tells her. She follows his instruction.
This is day one of a five-day course being offered by the Badr Brigade, a powerful Shiite militia with an estimated 10,000 members, to the wives, mothers, sisters and daughters of the group.
Hassan is not training to go to the front line to fight the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria and its allied Sunni militants, but rather to defend her home if the terror group makes its way into Baghdad and ignites sectarian fighting in the streets.
With most of the men in her family leaving home to volunteer to fight ISIS and its allies, Hassan says she has no choice now but to learn how to fight.
“I must do this,” she says.
More than 450 women have been through the training since the group started it this year, a step that was taken after ISIS began its battle for the flashpoint city of Falluja in Anbar province — a battle that was a bellwether of things to come in Iraq.
And thousands more are waiting, says Maj. Kareem Abdullah of the Badr Brigade, sitting in his office in a fortified compound in Yarmouk, a mixed Shiite-Sunni neighborhood in Baghdad.
The number of women volunteers swelled in June after ISIS seized Iraq’s second-largest city, Mosul, and then began a march on the Iraqi capital, vowing to hit the city of more than 7 million people and overthrow the Shiite-dominated government.
“We are training these ladies to make them ready if (ISIS) makes it into their neighborhood,” Abdullah said.
“They will be the ones who have to defend their home.”
Hassan remembers the sectarian fighting — Shiite vs. Sunni, sometimes neighbor vs. neighbor — at the height of the Iraq War that nearly tore the country apart.
Her older brother, 36-year-old Ali Hassan, was among the thousands who reportedly disappeared during the fighting.
The last time she ever saw him was the morning of May 28, 2007, when he left their home in Mahmoudiya, a Sunni-dominated city of about 500,000 people dubbed the “Gateway to Baghdad” because of its proximity to the Iraqi capital.
She doesn’t know what happened to him. But she and her family believe he was a victim of the sectarian fighting.
“Maybe somebody kidnapped him?” she says, looking down at the gun in her hand. “Maybe he was killed in an explosion?”
Ask any of the women, who range between the ages of 14 and 60, at the Badr Brigade training center if their family has a “martyr” — somebody who has been killed in the fighting — and nearly three-quarters of the hands go up.
Ask if any of them know of anybody who’s one, and everybody’s hands go up.
Jaffar Hassan is the man in the military uniform instructing the women. He is not related to Zahra Hassan, but she could be his daughter.
By the time the week is done, he says, the women will be proficient enough to protect themselves and, if necessary, kill.
Teen learning to protect her family
Fourteen-year-old Ageel Fadhil sits against the trunk of a towering date palm, listening to Hassan. An AK-47 lays across her lap.
Her tender age is evident by the white hijab she wears. The other women, all older, wear hijabs in dark colors. Her mother, Shama, already knows how to use the weapon. She is an Iraqi police officer, one of the thousands of women who were trained in such roles when the U.S. military was standing up Iraq’s military.
She also was among the first to complete the Badr Brigade training, and today she is helping to instruct the women at the training center to handle the weapons.
Ageel must learn how to protect the family, specifically her 7-year-old brother Ali, she says. “When her father and I are at work, what is she going to do if someone comes in the house to kill them?”
With school out for the summer, most of Ageel’s friends, she says, are watching television and reading magazines. She asked them to volunteer with her, but only a few did, she said.
When its Ageel’s turn to fire, she moves to the front of the group.
“So I take aim like this, and I get ready to fire,” Hassan says, lifting the AK-47 and leveling it toward the trees. “Then I fire.”
He hands it to Ageel, who follows his instruction. She squeezes the trigger. Bang!
Nice shot, he tells her.
Her mother, wearing a green camouflage headscarf that matches her uniform, smiles at her and gently pats her on her back.
It’s not what a mother wishes for her daughter, Shama Fadhil said. “But in Iraq, this is the reality.”
By the end of the lesson, Ageel appears more at ease with the AK-47, cradling the weapon in her arm — just like she has seen soldiers on the streets do.
But could she kill somebody? Could she point the gun at somebody and pull the trigger?
She thinks about the questions for a moment and then looks to her mother before she answers.
“If God wills it, yes,” she says.
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
» utube 7/25/24 MM&C Iraq Dinar Update - IQD Revaluation-Key Indicators - Deposit Insurance -Arbitra
» utube 7/23/24 MM&C Iraq Dinar-Prime Minister Advisors-Saleh-Al-Nusairi-Facts bringng facts-Reforms
» MMK&C 7/21/24 Government Advisor: Adopting auditing of foreign transfers contributes
» MM&C 7/21/24 Proposed measures to address the rise of the dollar
» Iraq ranks high in income inequality among citizens
» Within months.. Al-Imar: The amount of loans disbursed amounted to about 750 billion dinars
» Parliamentary Integrity confirms the start of opening the files of former officials
» Iraq and the German Development Bank sign an amendment to the loan agreement to finance a number of
» Regional oil...between export ban and smuggling suspicions
» Economist: Faw Port is an important step towards sustainable economic development and a major gatewa
» Parliamentary Investment "Mocks" Solution to Housing Crisis in Complexes: "Joke" and Government Must
» Multi-million dollar agreement to support Iraqi agriculture
» From Chaos to Law.. The Crowd Breathes with the First Reading of “Service and Retirement”
» Oil Minister inaugurates first phase of associated water injection project in Rumaila field
» Water Resources: The reality of desertification in Iraq is better than before
» Disappearance of 50,000 Pakistani tourists in Iraq.. Government position: We will start the investig
» Iraq reveals the value of its agricultural exports: 400 thousand tons in 6 months
» Electricity directs the rapid implementation of the solar power plant project in Khanaqin
» Worth $20 billion.. Iraq is second in trade exchanges with Iran
» (56) megawatt card.. Opening of the gas power plant in Majnoon field
» Parliamentary Committee: Amending this law will address many problems
» Iraq and the German Development Bank (KFW) sign an amendment to the loan agreement to finance a numb
» Finance discusses regulating the work of government banks with international auditing firm Ernst & Y
» The Prime Minister receives the approval of the coalition of companies that won the investment oppor
» US Ambassador: We helped Iraq with $3.6 billion in the displaced file
» In two stages.. The Minister of Oil inaugurates the associated water injection project in the Rumail
» Who manipulated the budget settings? Adding 15 trillion dinars for the benefit of the people or for
» Statement of the Iraqi Communist Workers’ Party on the “Personal Status Law Amendment” Project
» The American arm has become short.. Iraq will eradicate the “SDF” from Syria
» The idea of the “Sunni region” is maturing again.. The insistence of Western politicians collides
» Iraq takes its share of negative development and faces “electronic blackmail”
» Education in Iraq: Between the lack of schools and the delay in providing supplies
» Economist lays out solutions to get rid of the dollar’s dominance: moving towards a currency baske
» The Presidency of the Republic issues a special pardon for a bank manager accused of embezzlement
» The Ministry of Agriculture reveals the volume of its exported products in numbers
» Transport reveals its latest steps towards lifting the European ban on Iraqi Airways
» "Doors are closed" in Parliament.. Will political pressures result in the election of a new presiden
» Prime Minister's Advisor: Kirkuk government formation will be decided within 20 days
» US dollar exchange rate stability in Baghdad
» Reconstruction: New applications for Housing Fund loans will be opened when liquidity is available
» The US Federal Reserve adopts a new strategy towards Iraq.. The dollar is threatened with rising to
» First government comment on the leakage of 50 thousand Pakistanis in Iraq
» Parliamentary Integrity Committee announces keeping the session hosting the Minister of Water Resour
» Parliamentarian reveals the reason for the recent talk about the Sunni region
» Secrets of the Coordination Framework meeting with the Sunni forces.. Three proposals to resolve the
» Iraqis' spending on tourism is equivalent to the electricity budget.. What is the number of traveler
» "Two Papers of the Tashah in Parliament"... Warnings against implicating the legislative institution
» Turkish Minister reveals details about the security corridor in Iraq and the development road projec
» Does it stipulate the marriage of minors? What does the paragraph amending the Personal Status Law i
» One of the motives of the "salary scale".. Iraq is ranked 87th globally in "income inequality"
» "Vigilant Guardian"... Harmonious Supervisory Cooperation to Guarantee Citizens' Deposits in Iraqi B
» Saleh: The Central Bank's dollar reserves are solid and the GDP rate is very optimistic
» Economist accuses political parties of controlling the exchange rate on the black market
» Minister calls for establishing centers for Turkish commercial agencies inside Iraq
» 98% increase in foreign remittance sales at the Central Bank of Iraq auction
» Important meeting between Al-Sudani and the "Arabs of Kirkuk" to decide on the formation of the prov
» Housing projects in the Kurdistan Region are expensive internally and suitable externally
» Slight decline in the "green paper" in Baghdad stock exchanges
» OPEC: Iraq, Russia to compensate for surplus oil production
» Economist: The Iraqi banking sector has achieved significant growth
» Does integrity interfere with the work of institutions when they conduct investigations into suspici
» Parliamentary Finance: The Central Bank agrees to increase the capital of the Real Estate Bank to ex
» The region lags behind "electronic systems".. Transactions are still paper-based and the authenticit
» Media Authority: We are working on strategic agreements with global companies to bridge cybersecurit
» Al-Sudani stresses the importance of completing the formation of the Kirkuk government and reaching
» The region lags behind "electronic systems".. Transactions are still paper-based and the authenticit
» Iraq prepares to sign strategic agreements with global companies to bridge the digital divide in the
» Exporting (10) million liters of black oil daily.. Oil: Karbala has become an oil port that supplies
» Used as a gift and used for fraud.. The Central Bank warns against the circulation of commemorative
» Judge Faeq Zidane: International cooperation is important in the field of combating terrorism
» Al-Abbasi: Framing the relationship with Washington according to the Iraqi constitution
» Within 6 months.. The European ban on the green bird will be resolved
» Thwarting the smuggling of 21 million liters of petroleum derivatives
» Record
» Production of 24 thousand electric cars annually
» The second phase of the campaign (restricting weapons to the state) begins
» Inclusion of social protection beneficiaries in internal contracts
» The Prime Minister directs the rapid completion of Baghdad entrance projects
» Minister of Labor announces launch of health insurance service for social protection beneficiaries
» Via "Baghdad Today" .. Oil Minister announces increasing social benefits to 10 million dollars
» Joint Statement by the Iraqi and US Ministries of Defense
» Al-Sudani meets with a delegation from the American engineering consulting company KBR
» Kurdistan procrastinates to obtain the "lion's share".. Discontent over the delay in localizing empl
» Withdrawal is "Out of Reach"... Analysis of the Joint Iraqi-American Statement
» Al-Sudani stresses the importance of completing the formation of the Kirkuk government and reaching
» "Black Money" Fuels Investment Stock Exchange.. Countries That Prospered with Looted Iraqi Money
» Central Bank warns against circulation of $1 million commemorative notes
» Planning for “Al-Zawraa”: The five-year plan targets different sectors and does not include traditio
» “Unfair and deepens sectarianism”.. Why did the amendment to the Personal Status Law spark anger in
» Launching an electronic application for Iraqi retirees
» The crowd responds to Halbousi: A person convicted of forgery is not qualified to appoint himself as
» Al-Fayadh: We appreciate the Iraqi Parliament’s progress with the first reading of the service and r
» Nassif: The political process needs Al-Sadr and Al-Maliki to “rule” it
» Al-Mandlawi winks at Al-Halbousi: We reject insulting those who presented thousands of martyrs
» adhere to the rules of the Islamic religion and needs to be reformulated (tweet)
» Sarwa Abdul Wahid: The rivalry between Baghdad and Erbil is just "clacks"
» Parliamentary Finance: The Central Bank of Iraq’s measures to change the exchange rate did not achie
» Al-Sudani meets with Kirkuk Arabs to decide on the provincial government