Women Join Elite New Army Unit

Congress still bans women from combat, but they’re currently making their way into a special unit serving alongside their male counterparts on the battlefield. After undergoing physical and mental endurance tests, female soldiers are forming a team that will be critical to work with women and children who are typically held separately during village raids. Since it’s against cultural norms for Afghan women to interact with male soldiers, female trainees will strengthen trust and rapport with women and children—and hopefully prove vital to gathering information on enemy activities.