Tripoli , Libya ( CNN ) -- Embattled Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi is calling for fresh volunteers in a months-long war with rebels attempting to bring about an end to his 42-year rule -- and women of all ages are answering , CNN has learned . Women from in and around Gadhafi 's stronghold of Tripoli have been traveling south to a training facility in Bani Walid to practice with weapons , a common sight in a country where young girls receive military training in schools . As NATO 's airstrikes crossed the 100-day mark and rebels continue to fight to oust Gadhafi , he is tapping everything and everyone in his arsenal to hold on to power . At the training facility in Bani Walid , women are training to `` defend Moammar and the country , '' said Sgt . Faraj Ramadan , a woman who is training other women to properly handle weapons . `` They train to use it , assemble it and take it apart , and to shoot , '' she told CNN recently . `` They were trained and got excellent scores . '' At a recent graduation at the facility , 40-year-old Fatima Masoud said she liked the training . She said she left her textile job every day at 4 p.m. to train . `` I liked training and defending my country , and now I 'm am training women from all ages to use weapons , '' she said . It is unclear how many have answered Gadhafi 's call or how many had graduated from the program at Bani Walid . But women are fighting alongside government forces . A woman , who did not want to identified , fresh from the frontlines , attended the graduation . She was still wearing a cannula in her wrist . `` Do not underestimate any woman in Libya , whether old or young , '' the woman said . `` The woman is still able to perform more than you think . '' Gadhafi 's government claims it has handed out more than a million weapons to civilians since the uprising began . CNN can not independently verify the claim .
Women in Libya are training to defend Moammar Gadhafi 's regime . Women training with weapons is not an uncommon sight in Libya . Masoud : `` I liked training and defending my country ''