PHOTO GALLERY: Israel's female combat soldiers complete training with 20km march

In Israel's 'Caracal Battalion', two-thirds of the combatants are women who serve in combat roles alongside men.

Caracal soldiers on a 20k march. (photo credit: REUTERS)
Caracal soldiers on a 20k march.
(photo credit: REUTERS)
In Israel, men and women both perform mandatory military service in the IDF. Three years for men and two for women. Caracal, however, is a unique combat brigade in which men and women serve side by side performing combat roles and duties for three years.

Two-thirds of Caracal's ranks are filled by women. The battalion's primary role is conducting patrol's on Israel's Egyptian border, intercepting infiltrators and disrupting smuggling from the Sinai desert while keeping a watchful eye on the country's neighbors across the border.