#modern examples

[city-of-ladies]

How Female Afghan Governor Salima Mazari Escaped the Taliban

The world thought she was a Taliban captive or even dead. But she is alive and talks to TIME in an exclusive interview

“In her early days in office, she organized the recruitment and training of local militia and government forces to fight against the Taliban. When conflict broke out, she picked up a gun and joined her men on the front line, earning respect as a staunch, outspoken commander. In 2020, she fearlessly negotiated the surrender of over 100 Taliban insurgents.

As the Taliban campaign intensified over the summer, Mazari and her militia held out—inflicting, she says, “large numbers of casualties” on the enemy. But when Mazar-i-Sharif—Afghanistan’s fourth largest city—fell on Aug. 14, and the Afghan National Army surrendered Balkh to the Taliban, pro-government fighters were forced to face the inevitable.”

[city-of-ladies]

Why Zimbabwe’s female rangers are better at stopping poaching

The Akashinga, or “brave ones,” survived abuse and exploitation. Now, armed and trained like special forces, they're protecting the country’s most iconic wildlife.

“Mander sought women who had suffered trauma: AIDS orphans, victims of sexual assault or domestic abuse. Kumire joined after her husband abandoned her and their two daughters. Who better to task with protecting exploited animals, Mander reasoned, than women who had suffered from exploitation? He modeled his selection course on special forces training, subjecting the women to three days of nonstop exercises designed to test their teamwork skills while being wet, cold, hungry, and tired. Of 37 recruits who started the course, 16 were chosen for the training program; only three quit. Years ago Mander ran a similar course for 189 men. At the end of day one, all but three had quit. “We thought we were putting [the women] through hell,” Mander says. “But it turns out, they’ve already been through it.””

[city-of-ladies]

US Navy: First woman passes elite training scheme

The gruelling military training programme ends with a 72-hour event called the Tour.

" “The gruelling exercises train recruits on weaponry, navigation, parachuting, combat and covert insertion and extraction - getting soldiers in and out of hostile or classified areas.The programme culminates in a 72-hour event called the Tour, which is the point when many troops drop out. It tests recruits both physically and mentally as they endure 23 hours of running and 5 miles (8km) of swimming in challenging environments.

"Becoming the first woman to graduate from a Naval Special Warfare training pipeline is an extraordinary accomplishment, and we are incredibly proud of our teammate," said Rear Admiral HW Howard, Commander of US Naval Special Warfare Command.

"Like her fellow operators, she demonstrated the character, cognitive and leadership attributes required to join our force."”

[city-of-ladies]

'Warrior Queens Are in My Blood': Meet Mongolia's Notorious Female Archers

Female archers are not only raising eyebrows— they’re raising hopes that all of Mongolia's Olympic style games will be open to women once again.

“It's believed that Genghis Khan used the games to cultivate able warriors when he founded the Mongol Empire in 1206. Many of the warriors in his army were women. In the late 13th century, Khutulun, a Mongolian princess warrior and great-great granddaughter of Khan, reigned as the undefeated wrestling champ of the kingdom.

"Khutulun was unusual, but not unique," historian Jack Weatherford writes in his essay The Wrestler Princess. "Mongol women rode horses as skillfully as men, often carried a bow and wore a quiver, and they repeatedly appeared in early reports as fighting alongside men."

In Mongolian culture, "as soon as there's a woman who is clever, who is a good leader, she is also a good archer," says Oyungerel Tsedevdamba, former Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism. The Mongolian queen Mandukhai, who is credited with reuniting warring factions of Mongols in the 15th century, is depicted in literature and legend as inseparable from her bow and arrow.”

[city-of-ladies]

Warrior Women of the Viking Reenactment Scene, in Photos

At Vinter, a Norwegian historical reenactment training weekend, female fighters hone their swordsmanship and stand toe to toe with men.

“Thankfully, the growing number of women picking up swords means that historical fighting won’t remain a boys’ club for long. "Some of the most badass fighters I know are women," Ingelin Skei, a Norwegian fighter, says.“To be honest, it should really come down to ‘are you in or are you out?" or, even better, ‘let’s fight!'””

[city-of-ladies]

At 74, She Is the Oldest Practitioner of an Indian Martial Art

At the age of 74, Meena Raghavan is the oldest known practitioner of Kalaripayattu, an ancient martial art from southern India. Since she was 7 years old, Raghavan has trained with the best of them. While most girls weren't allowed to practice past the age of 14, Raghavan continued on and has become an expert. Now, she runs a school where she is proud to train boys, girls, men and women alike.

[ladyniniane]

At 74, She Is the Oldest Practitioner of an Indian Martial Art

At the age of 74, Meena Raghavan is the oldest known practitioner of Kalaripayattu, an ancient martial art from southern India. Since she was 7 years old, Raghavan has trained with the best of them. While most girls weren't allowed to practice past the age of 14, Raghavan continued on and has become an expert. Now, she runs a school where she is proud to train boys, girls, men and women alike.