Prime Minister Ibrahim Mehleb, along with the Interior Minister and the Director of the Recruitment Department of the armed forces, met with representatives from the "Egyptian Female Soldiers" campaign on Sunday, a campaign calling for the recruitment of women in the Egyptian armed forces.
"The president of the republic received messages from some of you demanding recruitment into the armed forces, and there are instructions to meet with you and listen to your ideas," Mehleb told the campaign representatives.
The women said that they represent a total of about 15,000 Egyptian women who are ready to volunteer with the armed forces and carry arms.
"We are ready to sacrifice our souls for the homeland. Even if we are asked to be on the border, we are ready for it, and call for the establishment of schools and military colleges for women," said the women.
Campaign members pointed out that women had been recruited during the tripartite aggression on Egypt in the 1950s and that Egypt needed them in the current war against terrorism.
They added that campaign members have previously conducted other campaigns, like blood donation and illiteracy campaigns, and have also staged protests to support the police and army.
"We are all proud of Egyptian women who are an honorable presence in all national positions, and we will study all the demands put forward by our daughters in this meeting," Mehleb said.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
