The Marines established an Iraqi Women's Engagement Team to conduct a census patrol in al-Taqaddum about 50 miles west of Baghdad, the U.S. Marines said in a news release.

The team met with half of the female population in the town to talk about what sort of assistance the Iraqi woman need. Many of the men from the area, the Marines said, either died in combat or are missing due to the hostilities there.

The Iraqi women said that the U.S. military provided their town with electrical generators, but fuel shortages still limit the power to a few hours each evening.

The Iraqi government provides a "traveling doctor" to address medical concerns in some of the rural areas, the women said.

Many women are forced into head-of-household positions and said recruiting fairs and job prospects in areas along the Syrian border were promising opportunities.

A women's committee also met in early February in Hawr Rajab, located about 12 miles south of Baghdad, with a local lawyer speaking about the need to advance women's issues in Iraq.

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