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.
Army veteran Rebekah Edmondson was tasked with recruiting and training FTP members during a series of deployments. Trained to take part in direct-action missions, Edmondson had a unique understanding of the dangers and difficulties FTP members could face in this role. Edmondson told me that FTP members often had to lie about their occupations, even to relatives, to protect their reputations amid long absences that Edmondson explained are “totally unheard of” for Afghan women.
Edmondson has become an advocate for the members of the FTP since about 50 were evacuated to the United States following the August 2021 withdrawal from Afghanistan. She recently started the nonprofit organization NXT Mission to increase her advocacy efforts.
Like many Afghan allies, FTP members were subject to collective punishment and mistrust after an Afghan national shot two members of the West Virginia National Guard in Washington, D.C., on Nov. 26, 2025, ultimately killing Spc. Sarah Beckstrom. Of the 50 FTP members who have qualified for asylum in the U.S., 39 still await green cards. Given the pause on green card issuance announced Jan. 14 and the Trump administration’s stated intention to reopen cases for reevaluation, many FTP members are concerned about their future.
Brutal gender apartheid would greet the FTP members if they returned to their former home. The Taliban recently announced a new penal code that enacts a higher penalty for abusing animals than for harming women. The FTP members’ special operations titles put them at additional risk of sexual and physical violence, as well as possible reprisal. Fortunately, amid uncertainty and fear, Edmondson has found a partner to help the FTP gain a foothold.
The Onward Network, in coordination with the Florida Veterans Coalition, has created a program that gives U.S. veterans a free 5G phone with unlimited service for two years. In exchange, veterans can perform community service and engage with the Department of Veterans Affairs. The Onward Network has also extended these benefits to members of the FTP, though, because the Afghan women do not qualify for VA benefits, their engagement will occur through various veterans service organizations.
The program does not constitute the acknowledgement of veteran status by the government, but Edmondson said that it might be “as close as we’re ever going to get, and that’s still worth striving for.”
The value of involving FTP members with the larger veteran community was immediately apparent when Edmondson and FTP colleague “Zara” volunteered at a recent RecruitMilitary Job Fair to help other veterans access free phone plans. When fellow Afghanistan veterans learned about Zara’s service, Edmondson said that they were immediately eager to talk about their own Afghanistan deployments. “It became this sort of reconnection to their time in Afghanistan,” Edmondson explained.
At a separate event in Nashville, a member of the FTP was introduced to a U.S. veteran who had not spoken to an Afghan since he stepped away from the military. “He has said over and over how healing it has been for him to develop a relationship with her,” Edmondson explained. While acknowledging that he “can’t change what happened and that the outcome was disappointing beyond measure, what [he] can do is be in this person’s life today and make that count for something.”
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Edmondson said that Onward Network’s assistance helps FTPs save money as they enter new careers and support their families in Afghanistan. She explained that the greater outcome is the “recognition” that the FTPs “are being given this opportunity because of their military service.”
“At this moment in time, it means a lot, especially with the narrative that’s currently out there,” Edmondson said.