I think this is pretty telling of what the enemy is capable of. Sending in a woman for martyrdom operations amazes me. I wonder if they can stone that woman in paradise for not killing enough innocent people in these attacks? So Al Qaeda and other islamic extremists are an equal opportunity employer of female suicide bombers now?
But the most important lesson in all of this, is that the enemy took advantage of a weakness in the security apparatus. If you cannot search females, because you do not have a female searcher, then you are allowing a breach. And in this war, anything goes with the enemy. They use children, the mentally ill, old men, women, etc. and everyone is a potential threat.
Perhaps a solution to this problem is to set up more contracts requiring female security professionals that can take part in searches of females? The military has female soldiers, but do they have enough? We already hire local female guards, but are they trained enough to handle the job of a security professional? Do they have the eye for reading situations and being an effective member of a security team?
I realize that these were Iraqi Police and Forces that were attacked, but these are still issues that apply to everyone over there. There is obviously a trend here, and all the companies and military need to be prepared for this trend. So are there enough female security specialists, both Iraqi and other, that can handle search operations over there? It might actually be prudent to hire more females for security operations.
It might be something that today’s security companies operating in war zones might have to consider. To fill out a security team with some female security specialists, to accommodate such situations as searching other females at front gates or at an event? And that also brings up another question? How many women are operating as security professionals overseas? I don’t think I saw one female security specialist the entire time I was over there. And I worked for three companies and spent over a year in Iraq, both north and south as a security specialist.
Things to think about, and we should not take anything off of the table when it comes to evaluating and refining the way we do business. –Head Jundi
An Iraqi police commando officer inspects the bag of a pilgrim
Bomb attacks in Iraq kill at least 56
BAGHDAD (AFP) — Three women bombers blew themselves up on Monday in a crowd of Shiite pilgrims in Baghdad, one of a string of attacks in Iraq that killed at least 56 people, undermining hopes of a drop in violence.
Scores of people were also wounded in the attacks, which came after a relative lull in the sectarian violence that has ravaged Iraq since February 2006, when insurgents blew up a Shiite mosque in the central city of Samarra.
The triple attack in Baghdad killed at least 25 pilgrims as they headed to a holy shrine for a major religious ceremony on the Shiite Muslim calendar that has been marred by bloodshed in the past, security officials said.
Another 27 people died and 126 others were wounded in a suicide bombing during a protest rally in the northern oil city of Kirkuk, and by gunfire in a panicked stampede that followed, local officials said.
Among the dead in Baghdad were women and children, security and hospital officials told AFP, adding that about 70 other people were wounded.
The violence was condemned by the White House.
“The United States condemns the violent attacks on innocent Iraqis,” National Security Council spokesman Gordon Johndroe said.”We urge the Iraqi people and government to respond with calm determination to the threat from violent extremists who seek to destabilise the country.”
(more…)
