audio, stills, text and or video: Go to zReportage.com to see more - As ISIS has swept across northern Iraq, they have become known for their atrocities towards women. However, there's a group of women that aren't preparing to flee ISIS but instead are preparing to meet them with their AK-47s. The 2nd Peshmerga, are a battalion of Kurdish fighters - and they just happen to be an all-female soldiers. They're front line troops, some of whom have been fighting for years, and they're eager to face ISIS. Dressed in army fatigues and armed with rifles, they are ready to lay down their lives to protect the Kurdish homeland against the threat of ISIS. They carry out training exercises and look no different from other Kurdish soldiers - except for a hint of makeup on some faces and long hair escaping from their caps. The 2nd Battalion consists of 550 mothers, sisters and daughters and was formed in 1996. Over the past month, they have moved into disputed areas abandoned by Iraqi security forces during the Isis advance. They have also recently seized control of oil production facilities at Bai Hassan and Kirkuk - the female Peshmerga will now be part of a mission to secure the city and its surrounding oil fields.
© Vianney Le Caer/Pacific Press/ZUMAPRESS.com
July 29, 2014 - Sulaymaniyah, Iraq - A Woman Peshmerga of the 2nd Battalion re-adjusts her hat during a military exercise. The 2nd Battalion, is exclusively comprised of 550 female Peshmergas, the only female official branch of the Kurdish National Army.
© Vianney Le Caer/Pacific Press/ZUMAPRESS.com
July 29, 2014 - Sulaymaniyah, Iraq - A woman Peshmerga of the 2nd Battalion stands still during a military exercise.
© Vianney Le Caer/Pacific Press/ZUMAPRESS.com
July 29, 2014 - Sulaymaniyah, Iraq - A woman Peshmerga of the 2nd Battalion takes part in a military exercise.
© Vianney Le Caer/Pacific Press/ZUMAPRESS.com
July 29, 2014 - Sulaymaniyah, Iraq - Women Peshmerga of the 2nd Battalion take part in a military exercise.
© Vianney Le Caer/Pacific Press/ZUMAPRESS.com
July 29, 2014 - Sulaymaniyah, Iraq - Two women Peshmerga of the 2nd Battalion make sure all AK-47's have been returned after a military exercise.
© Vianney Le Caer/Pacific Press/ZUMAPRESS.com
July 29, 2014 - Sulaymaniyah, Iraq - Portrait of 2nd Battalion's Lieutenant Jwan.
© Vianney Le Caer/Pacific Press/zReportage.com via ZUMA Press
July 29, 2014 - Sulaymaniyah, Iraq - A woman Peshmerga in her living quarters after a military exercise.
© Vianney Le Caer/Pacific Press/ZUMAPRESS.com
July 29, 2014 - Sulaymaniyah, Iraq - SHARMIN OMAR, 24, of the 2nd Battalion, plays dead during a military exercise. She is 4 months pregnant and the mother of a 5-year-old girl, and vows not to take any leave before her term.
© Vianney Le Caer/Pacific Press/ZUMAPRESS.com
July 29, 2014 - Sulaymaniyah, Iraq - Colonel NAHIDA AHMAD RASHID in her office. She is the Commander of the 2nd Battalion. The 2nd Battalion, is exclusively comprised of 550 female Peshmergas, which was implemented in 1996, and the only female official branch of the Kurdish National Army.
© Vianney Le Caer/Pacific Press/ZUMAPRESS.com
July 29, 2014 - Sulaymaniyah, Iraq - Women Peshmerga of the 2nd Battalion pose for a group portrait after a military exercise.
© Vianney Le Caer/Pacific Press/ZUMAPRESS.com
July 29, 2014 - Sulaymaniyah, Iraq - Women Peshmerga of the 2nd Battalion perform a military march during a military exercise.
© Vianney Le Caer/Pacific Press/ZUMAPRESS.com
July 29, 2014 - Sulaymaniyah, Iraq - Women Peshmerga of the 2nd Battalion stand to attention during a military exercise.
© Vianney Le Caer/Pacific Press/ZUMAPRESS.com
