A small win for Afghan women who helped special operations forces

Published February 6, 2026 6:00am ET



There are many Afghan allies whose heroism saved American lives and enabled U.S. successes over nearly two decades of war. Among them is a small group of women from the Female Tactical Platoon. 

Recruited to take part in missions alongside Afghan and U.S. special operations forces conducting night raids on high-value enemy targets, the FTP gave their male counterparts invaluable access to parts of the population that cultural practices previously restricted them from engaging.

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