Congress must not abandon female Afghan soldiers

Warriors made sacrifices to serve with US forces

Unless Congress or the Biden administration acts, U. S- trained female Afghan soldiers who fought alongside U. S. forces in Afghanistan and legally evacuated to the United States will lose their legal status this summer.

Starting in 2011, U. S. special forces handpicked women soldiers in the Afghan army to work where men could not: Question and search women on nighttime and other raids hunting terrorists and the Taliban.

These Afghan women, the Female Tactical Platoon, part of the Afghan National Army Special Operations Command, went through rigorous screening and training by U. S. Army Rangers and other U. S. agencies.

They participated in hundreds of direct- action combat missions against the Taliban with U. S. special forces.

As Afghanistan fell to the Taliban in August 2021, the Afghan women platoon wasn’t on anyone’s radar to be evacuated. Attention focused on male interpreters and former U. S. government employees.

Because the female warriors’ identities were known to the Taliban, it was certain that these women would be raped, tortured and killed because of their work alongside the U. S. troops.

Thanks to the tireless efforts of current and former women soldiers in the U. S. Army Cultural Support Team, nearly 40 Afghan female fighters were safely and legally evacuated to America with “humanitarian parole” status.

Retired U. S. Central Command Commander Joseph Votel has said, “These Afghan women stepped forward in a culture that does not always encourage leadership or action by women and laid it all on the line for their fellow citizens and their U. S. allies. This group deserves our support.”

On arrival to the United States, the former platoon members were housed and further vetted on U. S. military bases. They were issued Social Security numbers and now live in communities throughout the country where they have been welcomed with housing assistance, jobs, language classes and Thanksgiving dinners.

Pass the Afghan Adjustment Act to thank them for their service

Nevertheless, no matter the courage of these Afghan women as they establish new and productive lives in the United States, unless Washington steps up, their humanitarian parole status is set to expire two years after the fall of Kabul.

These women seek no handout. They are getting jobs and starting productive lives. Some want to serve in the U. S. military, and our national security would be enhanced if they were able to do so. They have proved themselves in battle; they know the culture of Central Asia and speak many languages.

This small band of pioneering women who gave up everything to serve alongside U. S. forces now live in constant fear and uncertainty.

The Afghan Adjustment Act could change that, but it’s stuck in Congress. These women are now adrift in a sea of Washington politics, bureaucratic mumbo- jumbo, and a highly politicized and failed immigration system.

Congressional fears about the vetting thousands of Afghan refugees are no doubt relevant in many cases, but not for the Female Tactical Platoon. Its soldiers were thoroughly vetted multiple times, including U. S.- conducted background investigations, biometric examinations and multiple polygraphs.

Failure would be a mistake that could cost us for many years

Failure to value these brave soldiers would be a mistake that could cost us in many ways for many years.

Immigration relief for those who have served alongside the U. S. military in foreign is a well- established tradition in the United States. After the Vietnam War, the U. S. government aided those who served alongside us in combat. But Congress has closed its eyes to these women who sacrificed everything to serve with U. S. forces in America’s longest war.

What a sad commentary on what America has become and what a dangerous message it sends to current and future allies.

Bill Richardson, whose daughter served with the U. S. Army Cultural Support Team, helped to evacuate members of the Female Tactical Platoon from Afghanistan. He served in the Marines and is a retired police detective living in Tempe, Arizona. This column first published at The Arizona Republic.

PROVIDED BY BILL RICHARDSON Members of the Afghan Female Tactical Platoon in July 2021. One of them later evacuated to Arizona and lived with Bill Richardson’s family for nearly a year.