The
most recent and growing trend has been insurgents’ use of women to
attack Iraqi and Coalition forces, particularly the use of female
suicide bombers.
To
counter those attacks, Coalition forces are employing the services of
local women searchers who have turned against terrorism and are
disgusted with the violence in their region.
“At
this moment, a female in Iraq is more dangerous than a male,” said an
Iraqi female through an interpreter. “A lot of the recent attacks have
been carried out by women who were not searched. Our job is all too
important right now.”
Terrorists’ use of female
suicide bombers is not a new concept in Iraq or elsewhere, but has been
fairly uncommon until eight female suicide bombing attacks occurred in
2007. In the first six months of 2008, over 20 of the attacks were
reported by the U.S. Military.
Coalition
forces have heightened their awareness to the attacks, but in
accordance with Islamic culture it is only appropriate for a woman to
search another woman while in public.
“In
their society, the males do not have a lot of public interaction with
the females,” said 1st Sgt. William Heyob, the Company B first sergeant
with 2nd Amphibious Assault Vehicle Company attached to 1st Battalion,
9th Marine Regiment, Regimental Combat Team 1. “We have female
searchers because there’s always a threat of a female trying to enter
the city with a bomb vest on.”
The
female searchers, aware of their job’s importance, refuse to allow
terrorists to enter Ramadi and loosen their city’s tight grip on peace.
“We
search the women to try and keep Ramadi safe,” the female searcher
said. “Our job is to help the Iraqi Police, the Marines, and the
citizens of Ramadi stay secure.”
According
to the Iraqi woman, the vast majority of women in Ramadi have given up
aiding the insurgency. Those who would often carry weapons underneath
their abayas, the full-body length, dark robes worn in accordance with
Islamic traditions, are now fed up with the violence and view their
past actions as a mistake.
Heyob,
whose company is assigned to entry control points in the city, said the
female searchers are doing a remarkable job defending their city.
“We
have a core of female searchers that work hard for us every day,” said
the 39-year-old from Hamilton, Ohio. “We really depend on them and
they’re doing a great service for their country.”
The Iraqi Police and Marines routinely hold classes to ensure the searchers are aware of new threats associated with their job.
“The
Marines and Iraqi Police at the entry control points talk to the
searchers and give classes on how to properly search a person,” Heyob
said. “They also make sure they’re always doing the right thing.”
The
classes have been effective, as the women have followed the procedures
and have reported several suspicious individuals to Coalition forces.
The
women of Ramadi, the city’s silent guardians, are doing their best in
keeping the violence of yesterday in the past, while looking to the
promising possibilities that tomorrow holds in store.
“Some
of my family and friends were killed by the terrorists,” said the
female searcher. “I chose this job to honor those killed, to serve my
people, my country, and to keep us protected.”
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The Thunder Run has linked to this post in the blog post - From the Front: 07/20/2008 - News and Personal dispatches from the front and the home front.
http://thunderrun.blogspot.com/2008/07/from-front-07202008.html