They were clearly not around when Gaddafi needed them the most on Thursday, but they were indeed a sight to behold in the Arab world: the all-women squad of bodyguards, dressed in blue and armed to the teeth, who surrounded the slain leader.
The elite Amazonian Guard, some of them as young as 16 were hand-picked, and were trained for three years in armed and unarmed combat, killing techniques; some of them were even taught to fly fighter jets. They were reportedly virgins, and often came from distant cities for the chance to serve their 'beloved' leader.
In a part of the world where many women are relegated to second class citizens, this was considered quite a feat.
Click on NEXT to see more PHOTOS. (Move mouse over photographs to see captions
 Gaddafi and Ukraine's President Viktor Yushchenko take part in an official welcoming ceremony as Libyan bodyguards look on in Kiev in this picture taken in 2008. Gleb Garanich/Reuters |
 Muammar Gaddafi walks down the stairs of his private airplane followed by his bodyguards at the Ciampino airport in Rome, in this picture taken in 2010. Tony Gentile/Reuters |
 Gaddafi's female bodyguards are seen while Gaddafi visits the Louvre Museum in Paris in this picture taken in 2007. ThibaultCamus/Reuters |
 Gaddafi visits the lower house of the Belgian Parliament, flanked by one of his female bodyguards, in Brussels in this picture taken in 2004 Francois Lenoir FLR/Reuters |
 A female Libyan soldier dressed in an Islamic head dress covering her face against the dust stands at attention during a parade in Tripoli. |
 Gaddafi arrives at Cairo university for a meeting with university professors in this undated picture. Reuters |
 Gaddafi's pregnant bodyguard chats with a colleague in this picture taken in 1989 outside a Presidential residence in this Egyptian border town. Frederic Neema/Reuters |
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