article_snippet: Jacob Russell's consciously avoids this uncomplicated portrayal of female fighters.
article_snippet: I was wary of making images that fed into this idea of the heroic strong women fighters," Jacob Russell's said.
article_snippet: Many of the women Jacob Russell's photographed turned to the Peshmerga to escape abusive marriages or other forms of repression women continue to face there.
article_snippet: A lot of the women's backstories were quite difficult," Jacob Russell's said.
article_snippet: That just didn't seem to be the case.
article_snippet: the women now serve a political role, too.
highlights_snippet: Jacob Russell's says the images of these Peshmerga have an important social, political role .