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First women Turkish commandos break gender barriers

Turkey's first batch of women commandos on Friday completed a vigorous 20-week training.

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First women Turkish commandos break gender barriers

Turkey's first batch of women commandos on Friday completed a vigorous 20-week training.

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First women Turkish commandos break gender barriers

The training took place at the Foça Gendarmerie Commando School and Training Center in the Aegean province of Izmir.

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First women Turkish commandos break gender barriers

The commandos ran 200 kilometers (124 miles) and walked 1,100 km (683.5 mi) in order to achieve top-notch physical fitness.

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First women Turkish commandos break gender barriers

Notwithstanding harsh weather, they camped outdoors for two months.

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First women Turkish commandos break gender barriers

They were taught to shoot, fire rocket-propelled grenade and hurl hand grenades.

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First women Turkish commandos break gender barriers

They also learned how to assemble a pistol within seconds with their eyes closed.

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First women Turkish commandos break gender barriers

The commandos were trained to read maps, defuse explosives and bombs, and survive without food for three days.

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First women Turkish commandos break gender barriers

Now, they are qualified to serve in domestic security operations.

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First women Turkish commandos break gender barriers

Staff Sergeant Merve Çetin told Anadolu Agency she was aware of the strenuous training sessions when she enrolled in the course.

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First women Turkish commandos break gender barriers

"We are two sisters. My father's dream was to have a boy who could serve in the military. He couldn't have a boy.

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First women Turkish commandos break gender barriers

"I wanted to show my father that this is not a matter of gender, but of guts and prove that not only boys but girls can also do this job successfully."

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First women Turkish commandos break gender barriers

Another staff sergeant Su Yıldız said that they are always ready to serve the Turkish flag.

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First women Turkish commandos break gender barriers
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First women Turkish commandos break gender barriers

"In these trainings, we did not just learn how to be commandos, but also tactics and technical know-how to lead military units.

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First women Turkish commandos break gender barriers

"Our goal is to carry out our duties come hell or high water -- and to play an active role in fighting terrorism," she said.