Sisters of Fallujah: New roles for women in Iraq

Several new Iraqi women are honored during a graduation ceremony as the new Sisters of Fallujah on April 23. The sisters participated in classroom lectures on law enforcement, ethics and first aid, fired weapons on a firing range and learned how to properly search people coming through entry control points.

The sisters are important in breaking the gender barrier in Iraqi culture, which has now acknowledged the need for women to work alongside Iraqi Police in a law enforcement role.

Iraqi women participate in lectures and training on April 19 to become Sisters of Fallujah, a young organization that is breaking a city's gender barrier by allowing women to work alongside their male Iraqi Police counterparts at entry control points throughout the city.

International Police Advisers and Marines from Combat Logistics Battalion, Regimental Combat Team-1, trained the new sisters in their role of searching females and children to prevent illegal weapons and explosive materials from being smuggled into the city. U.S. Marine Corps photo: Cpl. Chris Lyttle.