As the US-led coalition accelerates its campaign to degrade and ultimately destroy the Islamic State, it must increasingly work with and rely on regional allies. The Peshmerga, the fighting force of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, have developed into the US military’s staunchest and most dependable battlefield partners. With upcoming plans to liberate Mosul, Iraq’s second’s largest city, the US military is speeding up its efforts to train and advise Peshmerga units.

In what will be an undoubtedly be an intense and protracted fight, every soldier is indispensable, female and male. Female peshmerga will be a central component in any major operation aimed at retaking territory occupied by the Islamic State. Unlike their male counterparts, female soldiers can screen and process girls and women displaced by the fighting, ensuring they are taken out of the conflict zone safely and efficiently. Aware of their pivotal role, both the Kurdistan Regional Government and their US partners are currently training an all-female Peshmerga to support future offensives.

Female peshmerga platoon in the Kurdistan region of Iraq

Individual First Aid Kits (IFAKs) are a crucial part of every soldier’s gear. Soldiers equipped with IFAKs have a better chance of surviving on the battlefield, and they fight knowing that if they are wounded, their buddies can take care of them. Working closely with our US Army civil affairs counterparts in Erbil, SoA is working to provide 255 IFAKs, enough to equip an entire all-female peshmerga battalion. Every IFAK will include a trauma shear, a chest seal, gauze dressing, shrink-wrap, and a tactical field pouch to secure the kit on each soldiers webbing. Together with the training provided by American and British trainers, these IFAKs will help keep soldiers alive and in the fight.

Your contribution will have a direct impact in the field, and in the fight against the Islamic State. With your support, we can equip the female Peshmerga with IFAKs, making them more effective and enhancing their reputation and prestige.

Our goal is 255 IFAKs, one for each female warfighter. Help us get there, and make a difference in the mission of our deployed troops.