About 1,500 Somali females are now enlisted in the military of about 20,000, according to The Associated Press.
Somali army officials report female army recruits have increased following the ouster from the capital in 2011 of the Islamic extremist rebels of al-Shabab, the AP reported. With support from the United Nations and the African Union, Somali forces pushed the extremists of al-Shabab out of the capital.
Order is slowly being restored in Somalia following more than 20 years of chaos and violence, according to the AP.
Somalia's state largely collapsed after a dictator was overthrown in 1991 and the country was run by feuding clans and more recently by Islamic militants, the AP reported.
Naeemo Abdi, a 25-year-old mother and wife, explains that she has endured many challenges joining the army two years ago since moving from a conventional domestic role as a wife and mother of three to work in the army because she liked the prestige, according to the AP.
Abdi said she faced massive opposition from her spouse and family who thought she'd be cast off should she decide to become a soldier, the AP reported.
The women soldiers often wear camouflage trouser uniforms, boots and bright blue or purple headscarves topped by a beret with the military's insignia, according to the AP. At other times they wear long skirts to observe Islamic dress codes.
The army now controls Mogadishu, the sprawling seaside capital that has a population estimated at up to 3 million, most other cities and large parts of the countryside, the AP reported.
For protection, the women in the Somali army hide their identities out of the workplace by covering their faces and bodies with hijabs, according to the AP.
Some soldiers take different routes home to avoid being followed by possible extremists, the AP reported.
Other female soldiers say their dedication to the army cost them their marriage and some family relations, according to the AP.
Even though they are allowed to be a part of the army, female soldiers still complain of discrimination and inequality, saying they are restricted to inferior jobs, the AP reported. Officials say some female trainees want to serve as combat soldiers battling the al-Qaida-linked militants in Somalia, but most of them are deployed at police stations to help provide security.
