KARACHI, Dec 14: Sixty-seven more women have been inducted as air marshals, half a year after nine women broke the gender barrier in the country’s fight against terrorism in the skies.

Some 526 air guards finished a six-month unarmed combat course on Friday on how to tame any would-be hijacker. Of the graduates, 67 were women, officials said.

“Our first experience of training unarmed women combatants was a success and convinced us to keep it up,” said Mohammad Sakhawat Khan, a spokesman for Pakistan’s Airport Security Force.

“We are upgrading airport security by all means and the induction of trained guards including women is part of our efforts.”

Pakistan is a male-dominated society and women have traditionally been judged too weak to handle the rigours of security duties.

Although there had been no ban on women sky marshals, nine of them stepped forward and broke the taboo in July.

The government plans to continue training women sky marshals and has set up an all-female hostel at the instruction centre near the international airport in Karachi.

Pakistan has stepped up security throughout the country since the Sept 11 attacks on the United States, after which the country became a frontline ally in the international coalition against terrorism, to the anger of some hardline elements.

Pakistan has seen a string of attacks against Western and Christian targets that have killed more than 40 people since October last year.—AFP