Daily Mail:
Women soldiers will not be allowed to fight on the frontline in battle, ministers have announced.
The Ministry of Defence made the decision after reviewing whether servicewomen should be allowed to engage in hand-to-hand combat with the enemy.
They have always been banned from serving in units whose job is to ‘close with and kill’ the enemy face-to-face – including the infantry and cavalry.
Yesterday the Government rejected plans to scrap the existing rules amid concerns male soldiers were more likely to risk death to try to save a wounded female comrade instead of fighting on.
The decision means only male personnel will perform close combat roles on the battlefield even though women have served with distinction in Iraq and Afghanistan.
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They can find themselves on the frontline and extremely close to the enemy while serving as medics, intelligence specialists, artillery spotters, logisticians or signallers.
However they remain barred from all infantry battalions and Royal Marine Commando units – including Special Forces – and from tank regiments and other armoured units.
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The women are still at risk and some have been killed. Some have also performed heroically, such as medics who treat the wounded while the bullets are still flying. I think the same can be said for women who serve with US forces in similar capacities.
Image via Wikipedia
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