Muslim woman to stay in elite Israeli unit

JERUSALEM, April 4 (UPI) -- A woman from northern Israel has become the first Muslim to serve in an elite airborne search and rescue unit.

The woman, a medic, was originally assigned to Unit 669 of the Israeli Air Force because of a clerical error, YnetNews reported. But her performance was so outstanding that the commander insisted that she remain there.

Palestinian Israeli citizens are not required to serve in the military. But the woman, whose name has not been released, volunteered.

She was at the top of her class in medic training, leading to her assignment with Unit 669. She is expected to go through another course of training to be an airborne medic.

The air force has resisted allows Muslims to serve. Two years ago, a Muslim who had been trained as a civilian pilot and had a strong recommendation from his instructor, a former air force officer, was rejected from service as a fighter pilot.