American women soldiers are probably among the most liberated women in the world, fighting in the world's most sophisticated army. Many are on the ground in Afghanistan. Their aim is not only to wage war on terror but also to battle the Taliban-led campaign against women's rights. Some Afghan women, though, say they want to fight this battle on their own. Mandy Clark has this report from Khost, in eastern Afghanistan.

A female US soldier having her photo taken with Afghan women, 03 Mar 2008

Sergeant Barbara Ospina sits on a dusty bench cleaning her rifle. She joined the U.S. Army as a response to al-Qaida's September 11th, 2001 attacks on New York and Washington. The 23-year-old wife and mother says she is committed to fighting the war on terror - but also another battle: the fight for women's rights in Afghanistan.

"It's pretty much like night and day when you look at American women compared to Afghan women but after all, we're all women," said Sergeant Ospina.