Taliban Burqa Brigade

Burkha-clad women are being trained to fight by terrorists in the volatile Russian Republic of Chechnya. But how do we know they are women?

 This film, posted online by extremists, shows women in the traditional clothes being taught how to wield Kalashnikov assault rifles, machine guns, rocket-propelled grenades and sniper rifles with deadly results.

It is believed the all-female group of fighters was recruited by a group linked to Al-Qaeda that has bases in Pakistan and Afghanistan. Terrorism experts suspect the women will be used to launch attacks because females are less likely to arouse suspicion among guards at terrorist targets.

The recruitment of women by the insurgent groups has become more common in recent years as it is thought that they are more effective at evading security check points. But the rise in the numbers of such recruits is likely to lead to greater scrutiny of them from guards becoming wise to the Taliban’s scheme.

Similarly, the group is said to have increased the number of teens and children recruited.  Last year a senior leader of an Al Qaeda-linked terror group was captured dressed up like a Muslim woman in a burkha.

The unnamed commander was discovered in northern Afghanistan and was one of a number of cases involving male militants disguised as females.

In the video, the women are seen getting to grips with a variety of weapons, learning how to load them and seen lined up firing the weapons. The women use rocks as a steady base when using some of the heavier weapons as well as sniper rifles.