KATMANDU: Hundreds of Nepalese women have been training to become the first female Gurkha soldiers to serve in the British army, hoping to join their male counterparts famed for being fearsome fighters, officials said on Friday.

The British government hires hundreds of Nepalese soldiers every year to serve as Gurkhas, and they have fought alongside British troops in several wars since the early 1800s. But Britain's recruitment of Nepalese soldiers has always been restricted to men.A military official at the British Embassy in the Nepalese capital, Katmandu said about 40 women would be hired later this year as part of a pilot project, with some to eventually become official army recruits. The formal and regular recruitment of female soldiers would begin in 2009, said the official, who did not want to be identified discussing government policy.

“More and more women are joining the private training programme. We are happy that women would be allowed to get the same opportunity as men,” said Yam Bahadur Gurung, a retired soldier. Rajita Gurung, 17, said part of the attraction of joining the British army was the salary.—AP