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Incredible Story of Afghanistan's First Female Pilot
Incredible Story of Afghanistan's First Female Pilot
by Mary Chastain15 Aug 2013, 1:18 PM PDT2post a comment At 18-years old, Latifa and her younger sister Lailuma, ethnic Uzbeks, became Afghanistan’s first female pilots in 1991. In an interview with The Daily Beast, Latifa recalled memories of her childhood and the air force. Latifa and Lailuma always wanted to be pilots. Latifa said they played pilots instead of Barbies. They excelled in school and chose air school over medical and engineering school. When they joined in 1991, it was the middle of the Afghan civil war and they were immediately placed in combat fighting for the Najibullah government, which was a communist regime backed by Russia. Latifa told The Daily Beast about her first mission and how it had a positive impact on the country: The regime fell in 1992, and the sisters were scared their jobs were over. The Najibullah government was pro-women’s education and rights, while the mujahideen had a negative view of women. But they were quickly called back and rejoined the air force. The happiness did not last. It did not take long for the factions to battle each other, and Afghanistan was thrown into a new civil war. Latifa left Kabul as the factions destroyed the city and settled in her ancestral home Mazar-i-Sharif. She met Uzbek leader Abdul Rashid Dostum, a dangerous warlord. Yet, he protected her: The Taliban took over Kabul in 1996 and started to capture surrounding cities. Latifa found herself working overtime to help Dostum’s forces, but the town fell in 1998. Latifa and Lailuma tried to flee but could not leave their family behind. Latifa went into hiding because the Taliban looked for her. The mujahideen oppressed women, but the Taliban were worse. They did not like a woman pilot and hunted Latifa. They arrested her brothers and tortured them, but they did not tell them where she was hiding. She escaped to Kabul and then Pakistan, but it was not better: After the fall of the Taliban in 2001, she and her sister were able to return and rejoin the air force. There are now five female pilots, and women are slowly gaining more rights in Afghanistan. Latifa is still a traditional woman. She married at 31-years old to a man her parents chose, and she gave birth to her child, Malalai, three years later. Unfortunately, her sister passed away during childbirth in 2007. She also fears the US withdrawal will reverse the changes made in Afghanistan. She believes the Afghan women can overcome any fight that is thrown their way. Latifa realizes that it is ultimately up to Afghans to rebuild their nation and build upon their past success. http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Peace/2...t-Female-Pilot
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