Kurdish women commandos
The week's news at a glance.
Sulaymaniyah, Iraq
Soldiers in the Kurdish autonomous region of northern Iraq are training an elite military force with unusual members: women. Hundreds of young Kurdish women have lost a husband, father, or brother to the Iraqi regime, and they are angry enough to take up arms. Many of them are victims of Saddam Hussein’s ethnic-cleansing campaign, which has driven 800,000 Kurds to the north in the past few decades. So far, the women’s force numbers only 300 trained fighters, just a sliver of a total of 50,000 Kurdish troops. But more are practicing with their Soviet-made rifles. “Women also make good fighters,” one trainee told the London Guardian. “We’re just as brave as the men.”
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Peter Mandelson called Epstein his 'best pal' in birthday note
Speed Read The UK's ambassador to Washington described the late convicted paedophile as an 'intelligent, sharp-witted man'
-
'Vampire energy' could be causing your electric bill to rise
Under the Radar Wasted energy could account for up to 10% of home use
-
A Spinal Tap reunion, Thomas Pynchon by way of Paul Thomas Anderson and a harrowing Stephen King adaptation in September movies
the week recommends This month's new releases include 'Spinal Tap II,' 'One Battle After Another' and 'The Long Walk'