Margaret George Shello

Margaret George Shello
Born	1941 Barwari, Iraq
Died	1969, (aged 28) Kala-Komereyh, Iraq
Occupation	Guerilla fighter
Political movement	Kurdish Democratic Party

Margaret George Shello (Syriac: ܡܪܓܪܝܬ ܓܝܘܪܓܝܣ ܫܠܘ), was an Assyrian female fighter who joined the Kurdish guerillas in their fight against the Iraqi governments in the 1960s.

She joined the ranks of Peshmerga at the age of 20 in 1960, and quickly asserted herself among her male comrades and was given a leading position in important battles such as the battle of Zawita Valley. Circumstances that lead to her early death are still disputed. Most Assyrian organisation believe that she was assassinated by the Kurdish leadership which feared her influence and ethnicity, while the Kurds maintain that she was murdered by a jealous lover after she rejected his marriage offer.

References

• Margaret George, Bandita , Al-BAB blog
• Margaret George: 1941-1969 - An Assyrian Combat Woman , Assyrian Information Medium Exchange