Syrian females are joining male soldiers in battlefields, as they drive tanks, fire anti-tank rockets and aim sniper rifles at enemies like men.
They are known as the "Commandos Battalion for Females," part of the Syrian Republican Guards in the Syrian army.
Their unit was established in the summer of 2014 and consists of around 800 volunteer, unmarried, female fighters- aged between 20 and 24 years old. Their task is to work alongside the Syrian army in its battle against the rebels.
Their training started in the summer of 2013, before the formation of their battalion. And military commanders say lots of females have shown desire to enlist in the Syrian army to defend their country, whose crisis has entered its fifth year with no clear solution insight.
At every daybreak, they get on green buses from their base in northwestern Damascus and head toward the battlefield, mainly in the eastern countryside of the capital, where they bombard, shoot and observe the rebel-held bastions of Jobar and Zamalka.
They position in partially-destroyed buildings overlooking the rebel-held areas in eastern Damascus.
Aiming her anti-tank launcher at the rebels at the demarcation lines in the Eastern Ghouta, the 19-year-old Zainab told Xinhua she would continue fighting until victory.
"My career as a solider doesn't affect my private life. I am leading a normal and balanced life between my work and home. We are hand in hand with the Syrian army until the victory of our rightful cause. Our goal is victory, nothing else," she said while pulling the trigger of her launcher, sending a rocket right into a rebel position in Jobar.
The smoke filled up the room and the big boom rattled the surrounding, but Zainab stood still in the middle of the smoke at the tail of her launcher, peering from the hole in front of her to see where the rocket fell.
Zainab and her comrades spends 13 hours a day behind their weapons. Their military lifestyle is identical to that of the male soldiers.
Throughout the day, the commandos unit eat boiled potatoes and eggs as breakfasts and lunches and they soften their throats from time to time with a warm cup of Matteh, a popular herbal hot drink in Syria.
Those girls kept talking about how unafraid they were and how their families encouraged them. They said the main reason they join the army is to protect their country, not only out of revenge.
Bushra, 22, sent a message to all girls she knew capable of fighting to join her battalion. "I send a message to every girl able to fight and having the endurance to fight the terrorism. We will keep on fighting and we will never surrender. "
"We were encouraged to enlist in the army because there is no difference between us and the male soldiers. We are all brothers and sisters in the army," she said.
Bushra said she had become accustomed to the scenes of blood and destruction.
"We have grown used to such scenes from what we had seen on television and such crimes have pushed us to be fighters. And we will keep fighting to halt the bloodshed in our country," she said while her smile brightened her face and reflected on her big green eyes.
Even though she is engaged in her military life six days a week, Bushra said she is having a balanced life, and her military life has empowered her with strength and confidence.
"There is a difference between the civilian life and the military one, but after volunteering in the army, we have become strong in both lives. We have broken the walls of fears," she said.
Bushra said it's also her family's encourage that helps her carry on in her military life.
The commander of the female commandos, who identified himself as Ali, said the mission of the female fighters was primarily to carry out sniping tasks on frontlines before expanding for extra fighting missions such as the use of anti-tanks, and anti-aircraft rockets among other technics.
The commander highly hailed the toughness of those girls during battles, saying their courage and victories "shocked" the rebels.
"These women have proved their competence in all battlefields... The Syrian army has a desire to recruit a larger number of fighters and that's in line with the requirement of the battlefield and the decision of the General Command of the Syrian army," he said.
Source: XINHUA