AMMAN — Jordan is recruiting and training women for relatively lucrative employment clearing minefields.

Dozens of Jordanian women have been accepted into courses to become deminers. Officials said the women would be provided with employment in either the Hashemite kingdom or abroad, Middle East Newsline reported.

The officials did not explain why women rather than men were being recuited for the positions.

"De-mining statistics throughout the world have shown that while female de-miners may be slower than their male counterparts, their work is more thorough and in some areas, consistently improves upon the standards set by the male de-miners," NPA program manager Stephen Bryant said.

"It is hard work," Kifah Sirhan, a de-miner cadet, said.

In late November, the Norwegian People's Aid concluded a de-mining course for 24 women in Jordan. Organizers said the graduates became the first all-woman de-mining team in the Middle East.

So far, about 50 women have been recruited for the six-week course in Jordan. After a selection process, 38 women were trained separately from male cadets.

Organizers said the women graduates would be used to help clear 93 minefields along Jordan's border with Syria. The minefields span 104 kilometers, and the effort would also include about 100 men.

In April 2008, NPA, in a project funded by the European Commission and other states, launched a three-year project to teach Jordanians de-mining techniques. As de-miners, the women expect to earn about $800 per month, regarded as an excellent salary in Jordan.

Organizers of the course said the women could also be recruited for United Nations peace-keeping missions. Female de-miners have been operating in Sudan as well as neighboring African states.

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