Kuwait’s army announced that women will be allowed to join the armed forces in battle capacities for the first time after years of being restricted to economic roles.
The Kuwait Armed Forces tweeted that Defense Minister Hamad Jaber Al-Ali Al-Sabah announced the door had been opened for women to join various combat levels, including officers.
“The moment has come for Kuwaiti women to be allowed to join the Kuwaiti military alongside their brothers,” the minister stated, according to the state news agency KUNA.
He praised women’s “capabilities… and their ability to persevere in the face of adversity.”
Kuwaiti women were gained the right to vote in 2005 and have since served in the cabinet and parliament, though they have yet to gain any seats in the current legislature.
Kuwait’s parliament, unlike those in other Gulf countries, has legislative power, and parliamentarians have been known to oppose the government and royals.
