Liberia begins recruiting women into postwar army

Photo: Liberia begins recruiting women into postwar army

The new army will initially number 2,000 troops, and roughly 400 of them will be women, said Edith Bawn, spokeswoman for the government body responsible for overseeing the creation of the armed forces that includes representatives of the United Nations and the United States.

On Monday, dozens of women queued up outside a military barracks in the capital, Monrovia.

Women have served in small numbers in Liberia's military in the past, but recruiting for the new army, which began in January, has only been open to men so far, the AP reports.

During the country's civil war, many women were forced by government forces and rebels alike to cook or carry supplies. Others became "bush wives," or sex slaves kept for years by commanders. Some led units as battle-hardeneed front-line fighters.