Christian Women Take a Stand Against ISIS

The idea of supporting their husbands on the battlefield and protecting their children from danger has pushed countless Christian women to join the fight against ISIS. Syrian wives, mothers and professionals have banded together to form what is now called the Female Protection Forces of the Land Between the Two Rivers.

Some of its members have already been stationed near ISIS military camps, while others have carried high-powered rifles to help liberate the Syrian town of Al-Hol from ISIS oppression. The all-female unit is primarily focused on defending small Christian communities, per FoxNews.

One female fighter, by the name of Babylonia, said it was her husband who enlisted her to the military troupe. She willing obliged, hoping her efforts would help carve a better future for her children.

"I'm a practicing Christian, and thinking about my children makes me stronger and more determined in my fight against Daesh (ISIS)," she said.

As of the moment, the female militia only has 50 members. The first batch of fighters graduated in August 2015, while the second batch, which included Babylonia, finished training just last month. NewsMax indicated that the unit's main headquarters is in the town of Al-Qahtaniyah, in the north-eastern part of Syria.

While Babylonia and her squad are busy liberating oppressed civilians, their ISIS counterparts are now being trained as suicide bombers. Jihadist husbands and fathers are encouraging their wives and daughters to volunteer for a "noble" cause, promising them paradise if they successfully defend their caliphate.

"The phenomenon of female jihadists has been growing for many years now," said political Islam analyst Kamran Bokhari. "Females go through the same technical tradecraft with respect to guns and explosives, and the ideological training is very similar in that they are promised heaven should they carry out their mission."

The female jihadists are first recruited by the Al-Khansa Brigade. Dubbed as the "Sharia police," enforcers are tasked to roam ISIS-occupied streets, punishing female civilians for petty violations such as failure to adhere to the sharia dress code.

After serving their term with the Al-Khansa Brigade, most females then agree to undergo comprehensive weapons training, while also learning how to be efficient suicide bombers. Majority of the recruits join on their own accord.

Just last week, an ISIS suicide bomber caused the death of 10 German tourists in Istanbul, NYTimes reported. Last summer, 33 people perished in a suicide bombing attack in Suruc, near the Syrian border. In October, a suicide blast killed 102 people at a peace rally in Ankara.