How You Get to Be One of Gadhafi's Virgin Bodyguards

When it comes to protecting himself against allied attacks, Moammar Gadhafi is somewhat prepared. After all, he's spent decades grooming a highly skilled—and highly sexy—group of bodyguards. AOL News takes a look at the 40-or-so gun-toting virgins who surround him, decked out in camouflage, high heels, and designer sunglasses. If they sound more like fashionistas than killers, think again. They're all reportedly grads of the Tripoli Women's Military Academy, an elite institution Gadhafi founded in 1979.

Few foreigners have seen inside its walls, but the tidbits that have leaked over the years make the three-year training program sound tough: 4:30am wakeups, followed by 90 minutes of jogging, then classes centered around killing techniques. Some learn to fly fighter jets, others learn hand-to-hand combat. All promise to protect Gadhafi to the death—and take a pass on marriage and sex. In one case, that vow came to pass: In a 1998 attack on Gadhafi by Islamic militants, bodyguard Aisha threw herself on the leader. She died in a hail of bullets; he obviously survived. Click to read more about his glamorous crew. (More Moammar Gadhafi stories.)