not Kurdish but instead belonged to the Christian Assyrian minority; participation in military activities was for Kurds restricted to men until the 1970s. As one of the few female commanders in the 1960s, Shello became a symbol of bravery, a cult figure and an icon among the later women of the Peshmerga. Peshmerga fighters began to carry her portrait into battle like a talisman. This practice is still retained by some of the female Peshmerga fighters, among whom Shello is still idolized. Myths and folk songs were spread concerning Shello after her death. She continued to be known as the "Joan of Arc of Kurdistan" and also acquired other nicknames, such as the "second Shamiram", Dayika Kurdistan ("mother of Kurdistan") and Dayika Peshmerga ("mother of the Peshmerga"). The Christians of northern Iraq have also found Shello to be an inspiring figure, since she is regarded to have been the first Christian woman in Iraq to take up arms. There have been calls in the Iraqi Kurdistan region for the creation of a statue commemorating Shello. Numerous aspects remain controversial in regard to Shello, most notably her ideological sympathies and the manner of her death. These disagreements result from the limited surviving textual records – Shello left no memoirs and all of her letters to other fighters have been destroyed – and the wish of many, often competing, groups to represent her memory. Shello's grave was renovated and re-inaugurated on 26 June 2018. Her sister participated in the ceremony. Notes References Sources Print sources Web sources 1942 births 1969 deaths Iraqi military leaders Iraqi Christians Iraqi Assyrian people Assyrian military leaders Peshmerga