Female suicide bombers have carried out nine deadly attacks in the province this year. To counter the tactic, the government has formed an all-women Daughters of Iraq contingents to guard public venues in disputed villages.
Three-quarters of a group of 130 women employed in towns in the Diyala River Valley are widows of police officers killed in terrorist attacks. The unarmed women will be tasked with frisking their female neighbours.
If you know the narrative about why there are female suicide bombers, that they are the wives, mothers or daughters of "insurgents" who have been killed or captured, acting out in despair, then this takes on a particular meaning above "filling a gap" in security.
The war on terrorism is a war of ideas. Part of that idea is the concept of "moral authority" or "the high ground". Whoever can appeal to that the best and deliver it in real actions (ie, providing security, providing services, providing liberty, promoting the "good", etc) has an important impact on shaping "hearts and minds" of the population.
You can't get much better "moral authority" for combatting the "despairing", suicidal "victim" than the angry, patriotic "victims" of just such suicide bombings and over all terrorism.
It has been a term of irony, and it still is.
Iran to get new Russian air defences by '09 -Israel
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L21512727.htm
If Obama gets elected, I think we'll see "sooner" rather than "later". Israel will strike before their intelligence shows these new batteries are on line, and before Bush leaves office if Obama wins.
I thought the recent Bush decision to engage in talks with Iran was foolish, and wondered WTF? But now that they did it, and Iran STILL refuses to offer any concessions on their nuke programs, I think the Bush attempt to engage in direct talks with Iran will go down as one of the, if not THE, final straw before military action is taken.