July 16, 2014
Sulaymaniah, Iraq
With a picture of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) leader, and Iraqi President, Jalal Talbani in the background, female Peshmerga Paxshan Omer adjusts the stock of her Kalashnikov assault rifle in her family home in Sulaymaniah. As well as being a single mother, she is a widow, her husband having died of illness in 2000. Paxshan is one of 500 female Peshmerga fighters who are based at the Farmanday Peshmerga base near Sulaymaniah in Iraqi-Kurdistan.
July 16, 2014
Sulaymaniah, Iraq
Female Peshmerga fighter, Paxshan Omer, holds up a picture of her wedding day. She is a widow as husband having died of illness in 2000.
July 16, 2014
Sulaymaniah, Iraq
Female Peshmerga fighter, Paxshan Omer, shows pictures of her and her husband, including several from their wedding day.
July 16, 2014
Sulaymaniah, Iraq
Female Peshmerga fighter Paxshan Omer, shops for clothes at the local bazaar in Sulaymaniah.
July 16, 2014
Sulaymaniah, Iraq
Female Peshmerga fighter Paxshan Omer (Right) and her sister Shanwm, 25, shop for clothes at the local bazaar in Sulaymaniah.
July 16, 2014
Sulaymaniah, Iraq
Female Peshmerga fighter, Paxshan Omer, (Centre) and her sister Shanwm shop for food at the local bazaar in Sulaymaniah.
July 16, 2014
Sulaymaniah, Iraq
Female Peshmerga fighter, Paxshan Omer, listens to a song on her mobile phone as she guards a checkpoint at the Farmanday Peshmerga base. Both female and male Peshmerga train at the Farmandy base located close to Sulaymaniah in Iraqi-Kurdistan.
July 16, 2014
Sulaymaniah, Iraq
Female Peshmerga Paxshan Omer, sits in a chair as she guards a checkpoint at the Farmanday Peshmerga base.
July 16, 2014
Sulaymaniah, Iraq
Paxshan Omer's rifle leans against a wall as it dries, at the Farmanday Peshmerga base.
July 16, 2014
Sulaymaniah, Iraq
Paxshan Omer cleans her Kalashnikov rifle at the Farmanday Peshmerga base.
July 16, 2014
Sulaymaniah, Iraq
Rifles, belonging to female Peshmerga fighters, in the armory of the Farmanday Peshmerga base. Paxshan Omer is in charged of keeping the room in order.
July 16, 2014
Sulaymaniah, Iraq
A general view of the Farmanday Peshmerga base located close to the Kurdish city of Sulaymaniah, in Iraqi Kurdistan, where 500 female fighters are currently based and trained.
July 16, 2014
Sulaymaniah, Iraq
Sarhang, 16 (Left), and Mohammad, 17, the sons of female Peshmerga fighter Paxshan Omer, sit on the floor of the family home in Sulaymaniah.
July 16, 2014
Sulaymaniah, Iraq
Female Peshmerga, Paxshan Omer, watched by her sons Sarhang, 16 (Centre), and Mohammad, 17, talks about her Kalashnikov assault rifle in the family home in Sulaymaniah.
July 16, 2014
Sulaymaniah, Iraq
Female Peshmerga, Paxshan Omer, watched by her sons Sarhang, 16 (Centre), and Mohammad, 17, talks about her Kalashnikov assault rifle in the family home in Sulaymaniah.
July 16, 2014
Sulaymaniah, Iraq
Female Peshmerga, Paxshan Omer, and her nephew Bli'nd (20), are seen in the kitchen of her house as they prepare to break their fast during the Islamic festival of Ramadan.
July 16, 2014
Sulaymaniah, Iraq
Female peshmerga Paxshan Omer, watched by her son Sarhang, 16 (Right), and her nephew Bli'nd (20), cooks food for herself and her family as they prepare to break their fast during the Islamic festival of Ramadan.
July 16, 2014
Sulaymaniah, Iraq
Female Peshmerga, Paxshan Omer, prays in her home in Sulaymaniah, where she lives with her two sons.
July 16, 2014
Sulaymaniah, Iraq
Female Peshmerga, Paxshan Omer, prays in her home in Sulaymaniah, where she lives with her two sons.
July 16, 2014
Sulaymaniah, Iraq
Paxshan talks to a friend on the phone while she cooks food for herself and her 2 sons as they prepare to break their fast during the Islamic festival of Ramadan.
July 16, 2014
Sulaymaniah, Iraq
Paxshan Omer cooks food for herself and her 2 sons as they prepare to break their fast during the Islamic festival of Ramadan.
July 16, 2014
Sulaymaniah, Iraq
Paxshan Omer talks to a friend on the phone as she cooks food for herself and her 2 sons as they prepare to break their fast during the Islamic festival of Ramadan.
July 16, 2014
Sulaymaniah, Iraq
Paxshan Omer marches and carries out a rifle drill at the Farmanday Peshmerga base.
July 16, 2014
Sulaymaniah, Iraq
Paxshan Omer, with her face still covered in mud used for camouflage, smiles after finishing an evenings training at the Farmanday Peshmerga base.
July 16, 2014
Sulaymaniah, Iraq
Paxshan Omer (Right) hands in her rifle at the base armory after finishing an evenings training.
July 28, 2014
Sulaymaniah, Iraq
Paxshan Omer (Right) and her fellow fighters hold their rifles in the air and cheer, after completing a hard training session at the Farmanday Peshmerga base.
July 28, 2014
Sulaymaniah, Iraq
Paxshan Omer (Left) and her fellow fighters practice taking prisoners and cover another female Peshmerga with their rifles during training.
June 28, 2014
Sulaymaniah, Iraq
Captain Jwan Mohammad, the officer in charge of training the female Peshmerga, uses hand signals to signal a group of female Peshmerga undergoing training.
June 28, 2014
Sulaymaniah, Iraq
Female Peshmerga wearing camouflage uniforms, complete with grass and a mud-covered Kalashnikovs.
June 28, 2014
Sulaymaniah, Iraq
A female Peshmerga wearing a camouflage uniform, completed with grass and a mud covered Kalashnikov assault rifle, poses during training at the Farmanday Peshmerga base.
June 28, 2014
Sulaymaniah, Iraq
Paxshan Omer (Left) uses grass to camouflage her uniform during training at the Farmanday Peshmerga base.
June 28, 2014
Sulaymaniah, Iraq
Paxshan Omer (Centre) shares a joke with other female Peshmerga fighters as they camouflage their faces with mud during training.
June 28, 2014
Sulaymaniah, Iraq
Female Peshmerga fighters, including Paxshan Omer (37), perform a drill at the Farmanday Peshmerga base.
June 28, 2014
Sulaymaniah, Iraq
Female Peshmerga fighters, including Paxshan Omer (37), perform a drill at the Farmanday Peshmerga base.
June 28, 2014
Sulaymaniah, Iraq
Paxshan Omer salutes Captain Jwan Mohammad, the officer in charge of training female Peshmerga.
June 28, 2014
Sulaymaniah, Iraq
Paxshan Omer laughs as she sits in a defensive position waiting to ambush an enemy team during training at the Farmanday Peshmerga base.
June 28, 2014
Sulaymaniah, Iraq
Female Peshmerga fighters aim their Kalashnikov assault rifles at a makeshift defensive position, during training.
June 28, 2014
Sulaymaniah, Iraq
Female Peshmerga, including Paxshan Omer (front row left) stand to attention during drill.
June 28, 2014
Sulaymaniah, Iraq
Female Peshmerga, including Paxshan Omer (front row left) stand to attention during drill.
July 28, 2014
Sulaymaniah, Iraq
Holding her Kalashnikov, Paxshan Omer, walks between the buildings of the Farmanday Peshmerga base, as she prepares to carry out a training session.