August 21, 2014

Are all-women battalions of Kurdish fighters ISIS's Nightmare?

editor:	Murat Suner

The more radical, extremist and gruesome a person or a group of people is being considered, the more likely it is to hear wishful thinking. To horrify is certainly a crucial part of ISIS's tactic: Assassinating and beheading men on camera and using this as their propaganda, killing even children, taking women as slaves or marrying them, if they want to.

U.S. journalist James Foley was beheaded and cruelly used as propaganda ammunition to send the signal to the U.S., the world and ISIS's followers, and those who are likely to become supporters. As a reaction, Journalists called out not to show details of witnessing video or photo material. As far as this is still possible, the intention is to protect James Foley's dignity and respect his family's feelings, but as well to avoid serving ISIS's propaganda.

So far, so bad: ISIS is acting, the others are reacting. The helpless try to escape, the Iraqi armed forces timidly backed up by the U.S., and in particular the Kurdish army of Northern Iraq, fight back. Amid this tragedy any counteroffensive or good news is rising hopes that ISIS's fulminant terror will be terminated. Better sooner than later.

It is symptomatic for this situation that the Kurdish army's female battalions appear now like a secret weapon in this war. Being that women (and children) are the most vulnerable ones in every war, it's almost an ironic thing, that a female Peshmerga told WSJ: "The jihadists don’t like fighting women, because if they’re killed by a female, they think they won’t go to heaven."

Then, Isis expert Shiraz Maher, senior fellow at ICSR, King’s College London, tells The Independent instead that “they believe whoever kills them - man or woman - it doesn’t matter, [they will still go to heaven].”

This is not a fairy-tale, and not a Tarantino movie, where women finally take revenge, and nor does the devil hate holy water. ISIS won't be stopped by wishful thinking.