The women a/k/a Amazonian Guards charged with keeping Muammar Qaddafi in one piece

By Jack Brummet, Social Mores Editor

I have always thought that Muammar Qaddafi is one of the most interesting world leaders.  Not the sanest, friendliest, or most stable, but most interesting.  His choice of bodyguards is just another fascinating aspect of his strange and kaleidoscopic personality.  This is not news--it's been written about before, but with Libya in the front of the news these days, why not take another look and dig up some photos?

In some ways, this cadre of female bodyguards reminds me a little of Kill Bill. 

Gaddafi/Khaddafi/Qaddafi's "Amazonian Guard" is a 40-300 member bodyguard (depending on your sources) charged with keeping the strange dictator in one piece.  The Guard, is composed entirely of women. Most reports say that to qualify as a member of the guard, the women must be virgins.  They are each hand picked by Qaddafi.  They've done their job, including laying down their lives when he was attacked in the late 1990's. 

The guards are trained in martial arts, trained to kill, and to die for Qaddafi if it comes to that.  As I mentioned, it has come to that.  And it could come to that very soon again if things disintegrate at the pace they've been in Libya.  Some reports say that many of these women are of Cuban decent (due to Castro's friendship with Qaddafi) as well as Libyans.

---o0o---