"Many times I broke down," she said. "I didn’t think I could continue."The general force commander told her, “I am proud of what you are trying to do, [but maybe] this is a fight that is bigger than you.”But if Elman was “in” the fight, he was going to treat her the same as the men. It was his “tough love” that worked.Now, Elman is a logistical leader in a critical time. Al-Shabab lost much of its territorial claims after an African Union offensive a few years back, but the group still holds ground in parts of the country. And while there has been significant political progress in Somalia, notable challenges remain. Early this year, for example, al-Shabab attacked a base in Somalia, killing more than 100 Kenyan troops.In March, the Pentagon said it killed up to 150 suspected al-Shabab fighters in an operation that Elman said also resulted in civilian casualties, the number unknown. Those air strikes, both manned and unmanned, in which civilians are also killed, feed the “terror ideology,” and serve a propaganda purpose.Elman acknowledges there will be setbacks as the terror organisation changes their tactics, but, she said, “We need to look at what we have done.”And to her, fighting the ideology of al-Shabab and like-minded terror organisations, is in many ways more important than killing its members.“It’s so much stronger…It’s complete rubbish what they preach to the people,” she told Refinery29.Editor's note: This story has been updated to reflect Elman's current role in the army.