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October 17, 2023

SE4-EP185 Tango Alpha Lima: Advocating for Afghan Allies with Mahnaz Akbari and Rebekah Edmondson - americanlegionHQ

American Legion HQ

This week we visit with two female veterans who work with the PenFed foundation to keep faith with the Afghans who served alongside U.S. forces by assisting with their rescue and successful resettlement into American communities. Mahnaz Akbari served 10 years the in Afghan special forces as the Commander of a Female Tactical Platoon – a small unit of Afghan women who worked with U.S. special operations forces (SOF) in Afghanistan to search, questioning, and medical assistance of women and children - in a way that was respectful of Islam and Afghan culture. Rebekah Edmondson served 10 years in U.S. Army and deployed to Afghanistan several times to support a program called the Cultural Support Team, where she trained FTPs.  Both women talk about how they got started in their military careers,  the missions they were part of in Afghanistan, and the work they are doing in support of Afghan allies today.