Inside The Amazonian Guards, The Elite All-Female Unit That Protected Libyan Dictator Muammar Gaddafi

In 1969, Muammar Gaddafi led a coup that overthrew Libya’s government. A decade later, Gaddafi declared himself the Brotherly Leader and Guide of the Revolution. And at around this same time, he began to employe an elite cadre of bodyguards to flock him at all times — a group of tall, beautiful women known as Gaddafi’s Amazonian bodyguards.

“We had three jobs,” said former guard Nisrine Abdul Hadi, “to support the male army, to do ceremonial things, like guarding. And to fight if necessary.”

But after Gaddafi was overthrown in 2011, the dark truth of his Amazonian bodyguards emerged.

The Murky Story Of Gaddafi’s All-Female Guards

By the 1980s, the Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi was increasingly seen as erratic and dangerous. The United States had designated Libya as a state sponsor of terrorism, and as the criticism of Gaddafi grew on the world stage, he increasingly relied on his private guards for his safety. These guards included a group of women.

In Libya, they were known as Haris al-Has, or “the private guards.” Outside of Libya, this all-female unit became known as the Amazons, after the mythical women warriors.

Though it’s difficult to determine how many women served in this role, one former Gaddafi loyalist told The Guardian in 2011 that there were “around 400 of them over 10 years.”

“They did not have the same rules,” she added. “They were the elite girls.”

Long Hair, Lipstick, And Automatic Weapons: Gaddafi’s Amazonian Bodyguards

The women who served as Gaddafi’s Amazonian bodyguards were tall and attractive. Purportedly handpicked by the dictator, they were said to be virgins sworn to a life of chastity. And unlike most women in Libya — who wore veils in public — they kept their hair uncovered. The bodyguards also wore lipstick and jewelry, and guarded Gaddafi while wearing high heels.

These female bodyguards certainly made the dictator stand out on the world stage. But Gaddafi’s Amazonian bodyguards were not just window dressing. As the Huffington Post reported in 2011, the women underwent rigorous training to protect the Libyan leader. They learned martial arts, practiced firing guns, and could even fly fighter jets.

The women were lodged at the headquarters of the 77th Brigade, right next to Gadhafi’s Bab al-Aziziya compound. They were expected to keep their ears open at all time, and if they heard anything suspicious, to report it back to Gaddafi and his family.

“We were told to report to the family anything strange you see, or hear. Don’t talk to anyone about it,” Nisrine Abdul Hadi, one of the former Amazonian bodyguards, told The Guardian. “Maybe he trusted us more, or maybe he just liked girls.”

From the outside, the life of one of Gaddafi’s Amazonian bodyguards looked luxurious. The guards were well-dressed and beautiful, and they followed the dictator around the world. But after Gaddafi was overthrown in 2011, the dark truth about his Amazonian bodyguards came out.

The Dark Truth Of Gaddafi’s Amazonian Bodyguards

In 2011, Muammar Gaddafi was overthrown after 42 years in power, and killed in the town of Sirte. With his regime dismantled, the world heard from Gaddafi’s Amazonian bodyguards for the first time.

Some had joined him willingly. Aisha Abed El Salaam Ali, who spoke to the Express Tribune in 2011, joined Gaddafi’s army in 1984 and rose to the rank of lieutenant-colonel — becoming one of the highest ranking female officers in the Libyan army. For years, she oversaw Gaddafi’s Amazonian bodyguards, and claimed that the dictator had picked women to guard him “to show that Libyan women had equal rights to their male counterparts.”

But others had no choice in the matter. One woman told The Guardian that she was sent to join Gaddafi’s army by her family. Another told CNN in 2011 that she was forcibly taken from her mother by a family friend. She continued that while some of the women were “ardent” supporters of Gaddafi, she was effectively held captive. When her brother came to try and retrieve her, he was turned away.

What’s more, she claimed that Gaddafi’s Amazonian bodyguards were forced to execute rebels. And she grimly recounted that every member of her unit was raped by their male superiors.

“That is where I was raped,” one of the former bodyguards told The Guardian after Gaddafi’s fall. “They would come and take us by the hand and walk us down the corridor. We knew what would happen.”

Meanwhile, many women denied that they had been one of Gaddafi’s Amazonian bodyguards at all once his regime fell. According to Der Speigel, one claimed she was just a typist. Another said she’d been paid to stand in front of Gaddafi’s compound with a Kalashnikov.

Now, more than a decade after the dictator was forced from power, the full truth of Gaddafi’s Amazonian bodyguards seems more elusive than ever before. For years, they seemed to be just another piece of his eccentric rule. Beautiful and glamorous, with long hair and high heels, they flocked him as he traveled the world. But behind the scenes, the Amazonian bodyguards seemed to have a very different life.

While some seemingly took great pride in their role as the dictator’s bodyguards, others were forced into the role. They suffered from cruelty and sexual violence, and were forced to commit violence themselves.

And while some of these women spoke up, many more stayed silent. What were their lives like, when they weren’t being photographed at Gaddafi’s side? The world may never know the full truth.

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After reading about Gaddafi’s Amazonian bodyguards, and the dark truth behind their glamorous appearance, discover the fascinating story of the Dahomey Amazons, the all-female army of 19th-century West Africa. Or, read about the deadliest dictator in history.

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