Female soldiers are to replace foreign troops The Afghan army is training women as special forces troops, in a bid to replace foreign soldiers, expected to withdraw from the country later this year. According to news agency Associated Press, the women are being trained to carry out night time raids against insurgents, as part of initiative to introduce women into the special forces which began in 2011.
"If men can carry out this duty why not women?" said 23-year-old Lena Abdali, one of the first women to join the scheme.
Although, women have been part of the nation’s security forces for year, this latest move is considered to be groundbreaking in an ultra-conservative state like Afghanistan.
The initiative is expected to ease the tension between locals and foreign troops, who have complained that night time raids are culturally offensive. The raids have long been a divisive issue between Afghan president Hamid Karzai, who does
not want foreign troops entering Afghan homes, and the US-led coalition that says the raids are essential to capturing Taliban commanders.
Female combatants are already working with US and Afghan forces to ensure the safety of women and children during dangerous missions. Their role is expected to expand to tackling female suicide bombers in the run-up to the withdrawal of international forces.
Last year, US President Barack Obama announced plans to withdraw 66,000 troops by the end of this year, with a view to ending the country’s combat mission by 2015.
Colonel Jalaluddin Yaftaly, the commander of the joint Special Unit of the Afghan National Army, said local did not like foreign forces to carry out operations in their homes, but have welcomed the Afghan special forces units
“We were faced with so many problems when we didn't have female special forces in our units. Female special forces are quite useful," said Col Yaftaly.