Peshmerga or Peshmerge (Kurdish: Pêşmerge or پێشمهرگه ) is the term used by kurds to refer to armed Kurdish fighters. Literally meaning "those who face death" (Pesh front + marg death) the Peshmerga forces of Kurdistan have been in existence since the advent of the Kurdish independence movement in the early 1920s, following the collapse of the Ottoman and Qajar empires which had jointly ruled over the area. Peshmerga forces include women in their ranks. Photo of Faili Kurdish Peshmerga from 1960-1990
Faili Peshmerga: City of Qaladeza Kurdistan year 1972
