Born: 1941 (circa), Afghanistan (assumed)
Died: Unknown
Country most active: Afghanistan
Also known as: Unknown
The following is excerpted from Infinite Women founder Allison Tyra’s book The View from the Hill: Women Who Made Their Mark After 40.
The first time Abedo went to war, the Afghani mother of nine was in her late 30s. Born circa 1941, Abedo and her husband were among the many who fought back to defend their country when the Soviets invaded in 1979. Abedo continued into her 40s even as the war made her a widow, going on to lead 200 Mujahideen against their enemy. After ten years of struggle, the Russians withdrew in 1989, and Abedo returned to a quiet life in her village with her children. She opened a shop, and many of her customers were those alongside whom she’d fought. “She should be counted as a hero of Afghan history,” said one neighbour, Nek Mohammad. “During the jihad era, we witnessed some male mujahedin commanders signing deals with the Russians to stop fighting. Abedo fought bravely until the last moment, when the Russians left the country.”
But decades later, Abedo was pulled into a new conflict between the government and the Taliban in the 2000s.
“The police would tell me not to sell to the Taliban, and the Taliban would tell me not to sell to the police,” she told the Institute for War & Peace Reporting in 2011. “Finally, the Taliban torched my shop.”
Now well into her 60s, Abedo gathered ten young men from the village, formed her own paramilitary unit and, though still maintaining her independence, got a government contract to maintain stability in her area, which made her a target for the Taliban in Helmand District. Her troops, the government, and members of the community all expressed respect for her deep knowledge, but her fate after 2011 is unknown.