( CNN ) The image of the braided Kurdish female fighter , donning military camouflage and taking up arms against the militant group ISIS , may have done more to promote the Kurdish cause in the West than anything else in recent years . The Iraqi Kurds have long been pro-Western in orientation , but Western powers have often only moderately addressed their pleas for support , in part out of fear of empowering the secessionist minority to seek independence . Now , with soccer moms in Middle America tweeting photos of Kurdish female fighters , Western governments may find it harder to explain their tepid Kurdish policies to their constituencies . Jacob Russell 's sensitive photo essay brings much-needed nuance to the recent proliferation of images of Kurdish female fighters . Since last summer , international media -- and Kurdish politicians who have recognized the public relations value of the images -- often objectified these women . Images of smiling young female fighters brandishing weapons with a hint of glamour ( `` girls with guns , '' as Russell calls this type of portrayal ) tend to portray more of the photographer 's assumptions about the woman 's emancipation than her actual experiences as a Kurdish woman in combat . Russell consciously avoids this uncomplicated portrayal of female fighters . `` I was wary of making images that fed into this idea of the heroic strong women fighters , '' he said . `` I think that the female fighters are used quite cynically by Kurdish leaders ( who ) know very well how attractive this image is to the Western media . '' Having lived in Kurdistan for nearly two years , Russell understands that many women join the Peshmerga or other Kurdish forces for unglamorous reasons . Many of the women he photographed turned to the Peshmerga to escape abusive marriages or other forms of repression women continue to face there . Social media . Follow @ CNNPhotos on Twitter to join the conversation about photography . `` A lot of the women 's backstories were quite difficult , '' he said . `` It seemed like this unit provided an alternative network for women who maybe would struggle in normal Kurdish society , because despite being relatively progressive ( within the Middle East ) , it is still quite a conservative society . '' Russell explores the theme of sisterhood , and in one image he captures the women in an intimate moment in the back of a pickup truck , their fingers intertwined . That photo , he says , is his favorite from the shoot . `` I think that image is one of the more expressive ones that ( shows ) what really seems to be going on there , '' he said . `` I did n't want to take pictures that conveyed the idea that this was all about hardcore fighters going into battle and killing lots of ( ISIS ) fighters . That just did n't seem to be the case . '' Russell remarks that the image of the female fighter carries an important social role , conveying to the world the ( relatively ) progressive values that Kurds pride themselves on . The women now serve a political role , too . As Western governments eye more military engagement with Kurdish forces in Iraq and Syria , these women may boost the Kurds ' international standing . Jacob Russell is a photographer based in Lebanon . You can follow him on Instagram and Twitter .
ram Russell 's intimate portrait gallery follows Kurdish female fighters . He says the women of these fighters have an important social , political role .