Propellers whir in a desert outside Kandahar, Afghanistan, taking off and landing to transport Afghan soldiers to and from the battlefields of the almost 16-year war against the Taliban.
Waisuddin, 22, who, like many Afghans, goes by one name, serves as a medic when he's not fighting on the front lines. From under the sleeve of his Afghan army uniform, a long burn scar stretches toward his wrist.
"There was a mine blast a year ago," he says. "Two of our soldiers were injured badly. Then I saw my own arm - it had been burnt, but not too badly. So I helped the others first and then took care of myself."
Waisuddin, who enlisted at 17 - a year younger than the age required by a law that often goes ignored - carries his M5 bag of first-aid supplies wherever he goes, staving off suffering and death while awaiting transport for the wounded.
He says when there is too much fighting, he and his team have to wait for the injured to be evacuated. Up until the drawdown of international troops in 2014, the United States provided medevac support to the Afghan forces. Now, strained by ceaseless casualties, the Afghan army must survive mostly on its own.
Recently, Waisuddin remembers, "A young soldier had been shot in the eye by the Taliban. The bullet was still inside, and he was conscious." He gave him fluids and an injection to stop the pain and then brought him to a clinic. But he does not know the man's ultimate fate. When the injured are evacuated, Waisuddin returns to the field.
"It's all in God's hands," he says.
A version of this article originally appeared in the July/August 2017 issue of FP magazine. Subscribe to FP Premium for 20 percent off now!
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