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Iraq’s Future: Inside a Military School
Recently, she was handpicked by Iraq’s Minister of Defense to take leadership courses at Zahko Military Training Academy in northern Kurdistan. At 35, she’s a Sunni Kurd who wears dark eyeliner with her fatigues and says she lives to hunt down terrorists. She recently sat down with two visitors at Zahko, including NEWSWEEK’s Sarah Childress, for a conversation in English. Excerpts:
NEWSWEEK: Why did you decide to join the Army?
Shahla: I like the army, and I like my country. I’ve been through many dangerous situations, but everybody must make sacrifices. It’s hard, because in our community, it’s very difficult for women to prove themselves in the army. You hear that the army’s only for men. Before, during Saddam’s time, women in the army could only be doctors. They didn’t recognize their rank. Now, we see the difference. Now, they respect us. Now they call us by our ranks.
What is the training like at Zahko?
One thing I like is PT [physical training]. Not many women in the community do PT. Even if a woman is educated and gets a degree, she sits at home. But now that I’ve joined the army, I know it’s important for women to get in physical shape.
How does your family feel about your enlistment?
I’ve never been in the army without family support. It’s often difficult to convince families in this situation.
Are you afraid of being targeted by insurgents?
The threat isn’t on me. It’s on my family, and my neighbors. But we all must make sacrifices. Most of the problems we have are with people who work both sides. The terrorists are educated. They’re not stupid. They have plans. They recognize our uniforms, but we don’t know them. So they join the army. Sometimes they do join the units, to mark us as targets.
Is sectarianism a problem in the army?
At the beginning, no. But it’s increasing. I’ve seen conflicts. Things happen, and you’re supposed to act out against a mosque or husseiniya [another name for a Shiite mosque]. You have to, because bad people use these places for kidnapping and torture. But [a few soldiers may] refuse. We talk with them, and tell them that it’s not the end of the world. It’s for Iraq, for security and freedom.
What’s difficult about being here?
I haven’t seen my daughter, who is six, in one and a half months. It’s very hard, but I do this for her, for the future. I’d like to stay in the army. It’s my career. … And PT. At the start, it was so hard. I like exercises, but not running, because I smoke. They understand the situation. ( Nearby American officers overhear and laugh. ) It’s a new thing. Before, I just walked. In the last week I’ve started running.
What do you like about being in the army?
We’re chasing the terrorists. It makes me proud of myself. [My commanders] trust me. They trust my judgment.
