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Beyond the Call of Duty

How former US soldier Jordan Matson is fighting the Islamic State in Syria. Plus, the Royal Airforce's openly transgender officer, and the Sikh-American who is Captain America.

President Obama insists there are no American combat troops in Iraq and Syria, and that there are no plans to deploy any. But we meet an American ex-military man who’s gone to fight with the Kurds against Islamic State.

Also, the Royal Air Force’s first openly transgender officer has a message for the Pentagon regarding the US military’s ban on transgender people serving. And, a former American soldier shares her experience of transitioning from male to female during a deployment to Afghanistan. Plus, a visual journalist uses a pencil - not a lens - to capture images of war in Afghanistan. A photographer documents the surreal landscape of the US detention centre at Guantanamo Bay. And a Sikh-American combats stigma and prejudice by making people laugh.

(Photo: Former US soldier Jordan Matson, who joined a Kurdish militia group fighting IS in northern Syria. Courtesy of Jordan Matson)

Available now

27 minutes

Last on

Sun 26 Oct 2014 22:32GMT

Chapters

  • Fighting IS

    Why former US soldier Jordan Matson went to Syria to fight the Islamic State

    Duration: 04:26

  • Transgender Pilot

    The RAF's first openly transgender officer says competence trumps prejudice

    Duration: 02:49

  • Pentagon Policy

    Why the US military bans transgender people from serving openly in the armed forces

    Duration: 04:46

  • War Sketches

    A graphic artist captures images of war in Afghanistan with a pencil

    Duration: 04:03

  • Guantanamo’s Double Life

    A lawyer-turned-photographer documents ‘Gitmo at Home, Gitmo at Play.’

    Duration: 04:41

  • Sikh Superhero

    A software engineer by day becomes Captain America by night

    Duration: 04:26

Broadcasts

  • Sat 25 Oct 2014 03:32GMT
  • Sat 25 Oct 2014 08:32GMT
  • Sat 25 Oct 2014 18:32GMT
  • Sun 26 Oct 2014 15:32GMT
  • Sun 26 Oct 2014 22:32GMT

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