An Afghan commando who fought beside US Special Forces is getting a film on Prime Video
For most of his life, Ahmed Khalid Noori knew exactly what he was. A soldier.
Born in war-torn Afghanistan, he followed his father into service after he was killed in 2011. Noori rose through the ranks within the Afghan elite special forces and led a company of Ktah Khas, the country’s National Mission Unit, on counterterrorism operations alongside U.S. Special Operations Forces.
Noori spent six years working alongside U.S. service members and watched with them, in horror, as Afghanistan fell to the Taliban. He and his wife were evacuated from Afghanistan and resettled in the United States as refugees.
“When I came here, I wanted to serve and give back to the community that had done so much for me,” Noori told We Are The Mighty.
He admitted that his teammates were struggling to acclimate and rebuild their lives in the United States.
“For me, I had to make the decision that I wanted to move forward, adapt to life and build a new life in this country,” Noori added. “I wanted to be a role model and an example to the rest of the community, and help the rest of the community find a new purpose. I think that was the best decision I ever made in my life.”
Not long after he arrived, he met Lyla Kohistany, an Afghan refugee of the Soviet War and a U.S. Navy veteran with three special operations deployments in Afghanistan. Together, they buillt Honor the Promise. The nonprofit organization focuses on helping Afghan Special Operations veterans resettle and build lives in the United States. Noori became a program manager, quickly fulfilling his dream of continuing his service.
“That service is worth it because of the men and women who did everything they could on the battlefield,” Noori said. “But now that they are here, the day-to-day challenges are even bigger than what they were dealing with on the battlefield.”
In 2023, Kohistany approached Noori with the idea of making a documentary about rebuilding his life in America. At first he was reluctant to have any focus be put on himself. Once he recognized the way his story could help others and uplift his wife and daughter, Noori was all in.
The vision was to have Noori and some of his fellow Afghan veterans go on a road trip, visiting U.S. veterans and breaking bread over their experiences and moving forward after the fall of Afghanistan. One of those veterans was Michael Rodriguez, CEO of the Global War on Terror Memorial Foundation and a retired Green Beret. When We Are The Mighty spoke with him, it was the fifth anniversary of the terrorist attack on Abbey Gate.
“When we think about what occurred five years ago, it’s still fresh in people’s minds. If you say Abbey Gate to anyone, they know what it is,” Rodriguez said. “I think it’s important that we remember that. It’s important that we recall the selflessness of those everyday Americans who raised their right hands to the same words that I did and answered our nation’s call to do what was asked of them.”
Rodriguez wants the focus to be on the people and their patriotism, not politics. Those people include those who fought alongside U.S. service members and he was quick to say they are his brothers, too.
“We fought side by side with them. We cried the same tears. Those who served, I hope we remember that. For those veterans who struggle and ask, ‘Did I contribute? Did I contribute?’ Just look at Noori,” Rodriguez implored. “Look at the blessings of liberty and freedom that he is experiencing right now. Doing this film has allowed him to connect with so many of us and to really see more of America than just fighting alongside us.”
Both the GWOT Memorial Foundation and the Global SOF Foundation threw their support in for the film, aptly titled, “Noori,” right away. Noori (the word) means light and above all, it is a film about love. For family, the brotherhood and all life’s possibilities. Amazon Military and Ian McDuffie not only recognized the deep meaning behind the film, but the importance of telling the story.
McDuffie is a retired Marine Corps lieutenant colonel who spent 20 years in uniform, serving in the amphibious assault community and in multiple staff roles, including service in Afghanistan. He retired from the Marine Corps in 2019 before transitioning to Amazon, where he now serves as a senior manager with the company’s Global Military Affairs team.
“We support military hiring enablement, so helping advocate for and run programs and partnerships that support military hiring. We also focus on military retention. When we get those veterans and military spouses, we want to keep them,” he explained. “That involves a lot of academic work and trying to understand why veterans are leaving and how we can support veterans and military spouses staying longer.”
Through another Marine veteran, McDuffie was introduced to Kohistany and Honor the Promise.
“She originally came to us with this beautiful documentary, ‘Noori,’ wondering if there was a way we could get it on Prime Video,” he said. “As we were exploring putting it on Prime Video for her, we also started learning more and more about the organization and all the work they’re doing to resettle Afghan Special Forces veterans. We said, “‘Well, we can probably do more than just help put your content on Prime.’”
Amazon Military worked directly to build a job pathway program for Afghan special operations veterans.
“They go through this Brooksource pilot and it’s completely free to them. They’re making a good salary while they get educated,” McDuffie shared.
When asked how the film affected him personally, McDuffie didn’t hold back.
“Anybody who served in Afghanistan, regardless of what capacity or when you served, I think those of us who served left part of our heart back there,” he said. “Seeing how Noori comes to America and gets resettled, obviously after going through personal chaos and then reconnects with Americans and veterans he fought alongside, and his only emotion is gratitude, I found that to be incredibly meaningful. It gave me perspective. It closed the loop for me on my time in Afghanistan and gave me purpose.”
Amazon Military will continue to build new cohorts and give opportunities to Afghan veterans, a program McDuffie said he’s extremely proud of. He added that it’s more than just a job, it’s purpose, connection and fulfillment.
Retired command sergeant major and Medal of Honor recipient Matthew Williams understands the importance of Noori’s story and keeping the promise made to those who fought terrorism alongside him and his fellow service members. He lent his support to the film early on.
“My last time in Afghanistan was around 2013. Of course it’s always somewhere in your mind because of life and everything that comes with it but seeing the Afghans and their journey coming to America, watching them interact with each other, being silly and just being themselves, brought me back to hanging out with those guys,” Williams explained. “Not just the training and all the things we did together as soldiers, but the men I met and the friends we made. It was actually pretty cathartic to watch the movie, re-experience that and almost rehumanize the situation back to the time when I was there.”
Williams received the Medal of Honor in 2019 for actions on April 6, 2008. When his assault force came under intense machine gun, sniper and rocket-propelled grenade fire and several teammates were wounded and pinned down, he repeatedly crossed exposed terrain under fire to reinforce the lead element, treat and move wounded soldiers, and help establish a casualty evacuation point. He also led Afghan commandos in counterattacks that prevented the position from being overrun and helped evacuate the wounded without further casualties.
To say that the film was personal to him was an understatement.
“I think it’s a phenomenal story from start to finish, especially for people who have no idea about the war or what it meant to be an Afghan living in Afghanistan and standing up against what ultimately became their government again. They were forced into a situation that we really can’t fathom,” Williams shared. “The term ‘refugee’ gets thrown around a lot. By status, that may be the case but I don’t consider them refugees. They were our partners. They were fighting for Afghanistan. We were fighting for freedom, if you want to frame it that way. We were fighting for peace of mind back home but they were fighting for their lives and their country.”
Retired Navy SEAL officer and “Noori” executive producer Geno Paluso saw the film as an opportunity to shine a light on something he believes is too often left out of America’s war stories: the partners who fought alongside U.S. forces.
“There hasn’t been a conflict where we haven’t had partners that made us successful,” Paluso said. “And we never really highlight that.”
For Paluso, the point is personal. After spending significant time deployed to Afghanistan in various roles, he knows firsthand how much U.S. forces depended on Afghan partners.
“There are thousands of them that made sure that I’m still here and everybody else that is going to show up here,” he said. “And a lot of, not just special operations folks, but a lot of U.S. military and civilians who are alive because of these people.”
“Noori” will debut to the world on Nov. 1, 2026 on Amazon Prime and the Amazon Military team, and McDuffie, can’t wait. During the screening at Amazon HQ, it was hard to find dry eyes in the crowd.
“I don’t think I’m the only one who is going to feel that way in a room of veterans. I found that the film can be a bridge for veterans to connect with each other,” McDuffie added.
“2026 marks a pivotal year of remembrance and reflection: five years since the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, twenty-five years since 9/11, and the 250th anniversary of our nation’s founding,” said Kohistany. “It’s an invitation to reflect on the promise of America and the universal need for community and connection. It also reminds us that while wars end, partnerships endure.”
Paluso echoed that sentiment with a simple call to action.
“You can’t forget what happened and you can’t forget what we did there but more importantly, we can’t forget what they did for us,” he said.
“I don’t think I’m the only one who is going to feel that way in a room of veterans. I found that the film can be a bridge for veterans to connect with each other,” McDuffie added.
As for Noori, he was all smiles when We Are The Mighty asked if he was ready to share his story.
“Five years ago when I got here, I struggled a lot personally. I had survivor guilt, the loss of my country, leaving that country behind and the loss of identity. These are things that are common when a service member leaves service,” Noori said.
“My teammates were going through those things as well. It was hard for me in those days. But through this documentary, I had the opportunity to meet people like Rod [Michael Rodriguez], who helped me understand that if I wanted to be successful and thrive, I had to make a decision to move forward and let go of the past. I think I did that.”
To learn more about the film, head over to the film’s website.
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