In 2014, extreme Islamic group known as ISIS began moving into northern parts of Iraq, where the minority group, known as the Yazidi people, live.
For those who have never heard of the Yazidi people, let me explain.
The Yazidi are predominantly ethnically Kurdish. While the Kurdish people have never really had their own country, they have been living in the Kurdistan region that is in northern Iraq. Yazidi is one of the many names for the religion that these people practice. The faith is derived from Christianity, Islam, and Zoroastrianism (one of the world's oldest monotheistic religions).
Since ISIS has become more powerful in that region they have been targeting the Yazidi people because according to Radical Islamists, these people are "heretics." ISIS has given the Yazidi people two options: either convert to Islam, pay a religious fine, and flee their homes or death. The Yazidi people fled to nearby mountains where they are quickly running out of food and water. Others have paid human smugglers to transport them to other countries.
While a lot of families have fled to either neighboring mountains or to different countries, a few brave souls stayed back to fight. A 30-woman unit made up of Kurdish women (Yazidis as well as Kurdish women from Iraq and Syria) are looking for revenge for all their fellow Kurdish women who have been beaten, raped, and killed by the vicious jihadist militants. Women as young as 16 have joined the cause. Some have even left school, saying they didn't feel safe going so they are fighting to make sure it is safe for others to go to school.
These brave soldiers believe that the Islamic state militants are afraid of women fighters. Apparently if they are killed by a woman, they will go to hell, a phrase that is commonly passed around between the soldiers and is often used to get other women to join the group.
This skilled group of women has trained alongside male soldiers who are all preparing to fight against ISIS.
These women have left behind their personal lives to revenge the deaths of their fellow Kurdish/Yazidi women. They have left behind their husbands, their mothers, and their fathers, their brothers, and their sisters and more to go fight against ISIS. They are spending their days on the front line trying to push back this group of extreme Islamists.
Yes, women soldiers are common and they are fighting alongside men everywhere. All soldiers are brave, men and women alike, for leaving their families and fighting to protect the lives of others. But, I just wanted to shed some light on a group of badass soldiers who are fighting purely for the revenge of their fellow women.
