Looking for His glorious appearing! Titus 2:13

You might have heard of Dad's Army - well, now meet Mum's Army.

As Iraq undergoes a rapid descent into civil war along sectarian lines - amid an alliance of Sunni rebels including the radical Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS) in the north, and the mass-mobilization of Iranian-backed Shia militias in the south - pro-government Al-Iraqiya TV has shown how some Iraqi women are joining the fray.

In what looks more like a crude piece of propaganda than a serious interview (at points the women are even instructed on what slogans to chant by their interviewer), around a dozen women of various ages can be seen brandishing weapons including swords, pistols, AK-47 assault rifles and machine guns, and vowing to "fight to the death" against ISIS.

Although ISIS has played a key role in the lightening offensive by Sunni rebels, it is far from the only group active in the fight against the Shia-dominated government. Sunni Muslims in the country have long complained of discrimination and abuse at the hands of the government of Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki.

But ISIS's prominent role in the offensive - which is now threatening the capital Baghdad - and its wider ambitions for an Islamic mega-state spanning Syria, Iraq, Lebanon, Israel (or "Palestine") and Jordan is regularly highlighted by pro-government groups.