BLOG: The Female Face of the Insurgency

An old friend of mine called saying “you were right.” I was a bit surprised, because my friend had traditional views regarding the connections between gender and security threats. He believed that security is a man's business and a woman has nothing to offer.

I believe security is everybody's business including women and children.

My friend works on security issues in Iraq and he was surprised to know that the insurgents in Diyala province in Iraq (35 miles northeast of Baghdad) are recruiting women to smuggle IEDs through checkpoints. The devices are separated into parts, which women smuggle separately through the checkpoints. Later, the insurgents will reassemble the devices and use them to plot attacks against the U.S. or Iraqi soldiers.

I asked my friend, “Why women?” He responded that women in rural areas do not engage in public discussions regarding security, because their community perceives security as “men's talk.” Moreover, women settle for less money than men.

Women also do not receive any education or training on how to address an attempt to recruit them. Often times, a senior woman will recruit younger women during a social gathering, while shopping at the local market, or any other occasion attended by women only.

Senior women enjoy a social status in rural areas and they can influence other women.

My friend admits that I had a point when I used to tell him that women should receive a primary education to build their capacity on how to address any attempts to recruit them.

I enjoyed the conversation with my friend. It was the first time that we did not debate each other's opinions.

The conversation made me think about the approach that policymakers use to address security threats. They focus on arming the vehicles to stand against an IED attack, or buying equipments that can detect IEDs.

However, the threat is coming from a cultural practice in which women are excluded from primary security education or training. It is a threat that technology cannot detect.

The insurgents are not using technology to recruit women. In fact, they are utilizing their knowledge of the community norms as the main recruiting tactic. They reach out to those who do not know or to those who are vulnerable.

Thus, addressing this threat by inventing a technology that can stand against the IED is not the best option here.

Had women received the necessary training on how to address successfully an attempt to recruit them, then women would not smuggle the IEDs.
Most of the rural women in Dyila did not receive any security awareness regarding what to do if someone asked them carry something. Thus, they are easily influenced and recruited by the insurgents.

Another implication of this issue is children. If women are not educated, then they can educate their children. The children spend their time with their mother, and she is their main source of information. If she does not know, then they do not know either[1].

Have you heard of Al-Qaeda clubs in Iraq? Al-Qaeda is recruiting among boys and teens, because they are easily influenced. The boys and teens do not receive any education or training on how to address an attempt to recruit them, which usually made by a senior man. Senior men enjoy a social status in the community, where boys and teens should listen to them.

What is my recommendation? Launching a community-based security education program.

[1] It is true that boys accompany the father, but what if the father is dead, or the mother is divorced then they will spend their time with her.