As I tour the base, I am taken aback by the sight of a woman mechanic
in a ditch under a jeep. 
I had expected to see women in the NLA's combat units,
but for some reason it was a shock to encounter women with black hands and
greasy overalls tampering with the engines and wheels of military trucks
and jeeps at this remote frontier base.
Actually, women comprise one third of the NLA forces. My guide explains that women serve as commanders and combatants at all levels within the NLA. For the first time in the history of modern armies, two independent women's brigades entered into battle with Khomeini's forces in the NLAs first spring offensive, called `Shining Sun." Women are also actively involved in other battalions and brigades, whether armored, engineering combat support, artillery or logistics.
Despite the heavy physical labor, the NLAs female mechanics are rusing to complete work on the vehicles before nightfall. I find an opportunity however, to talk to one of them and ask Mehrnaz Hosseini if she finds any contradiction between her job and her gender? She smiles as she wipes her forehead with her sleeve. "Don't you know what Khomeini has done to the Iranian woman? She's not even a second-class citizen; she is sub-human.
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