Kuwaiti women will be allowed to enlist in the military in combat roles for the first time, the country's defence minister said on Tuesday.
Defence Minister Hamad Jaber Al Sabah said the door had been opened for women to join various combat ranks, including as officers, the Kuwait Armed Forces tweeted.
For years they had been restricted to civilian roles.
“The time has come for Kuwaiti women to be given the opportunity to enter the Kuwaiti military side by side with their brothers,” the minister said in remarks carried by state news agency Kuna.
He expressed confidence in women's capabilities and "[their] willingness of Kuwaiti women to endure the hardship of working in the army … [and in] defending its interests and maintaining its security and stability”.
Kuwaiti women earned the right to vote in 2005 and have been active both in Cabinet and parliament – though there are no women in the current parliament.
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A business owner carries a placard that reads 'No closure without compensation' during a protest in Kuwait City against the closure of salons and health clubs in Kuwait as a measure to stem the spread of the coronavirus. EPA -
Business owners display placards during an anti-closures protest in Kuwait City. The Kuwaiti government stopped non-Kuwaitis entering the country for two weeks starting from February 7 to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. EPA -
This Kuwaiti demonstrator's placard reads 'Closure ends in bankruptcy and jail'. All businesses, including malls, must close between the hours of 8pm and 5am. EPA -
'Just as we have a duty towards you, you have a duty towards us' reads this business owner's placard displayed at a Kuwait City protest against the closure of small businesses as an anti-coronavirus measure. EPA -
'Why should we, the innocent, bear the burden of your mismanagement of the crisis?' asks an owner at the protest against the closure of businesses in an effort to tackle Covid-19. EPA -
A business owner in Kuwait City with a placard reading 'Closure ends in bankruptcy and jail'. The Kuwaiti government is being urged to rethink its closure of salons and health clubs to contain the spread of the coronavirus. EPA
