RIYADH: Saudi Arabia has formally announced that it would allow women to serve in the armed forces.
The move is the latest in a series of measures aimed at increasing the rights of women in the kingdom, even as rights groups accuse Riyadh of cracking down on women activists.
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Saudi Arabia’s foreign ministry said in a tweet, “Another step to empowerment, #Saudi women to join the army for the first time.”
The Saudi Press Agency stated that the women can submit their applications in Riyadh, Makkah, Madinah, Qassim, Asir and Al-Baha.
According to the Saudi news channel, the Saudi government had allowed the women to join security services in 2018.
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the kingdom’s de facto ruler, has approved a handful of reforms aimed at widening women’s rights, including allowing them to drive and to travel abroad without consent from a male guardian.
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