Criticism in Afghanistan Following First Female Pilot's Asylum Request

Some citizens and officials in Afghanistan have expressed anger over the news of the first female pilot of the country, Niloufar Rahmani, requesting asylum in the United States. According to Reuters, the Afghan Defense Minister confirmed on Sunday the news regarding Rahmani's asylum request while she is in the U.S. for an 18-month training course. The Wall Street Journal quoted Rahmani as saying she believes her life would be in danger if she returns to Afghanistan. At 25 years old, Rahmani won the 'Women of Courage' award in 2015, presented by the U.S. State Department. She is described as a 'symbol of the effort to improve the status of women in Afghanistan,' a decade after the fall of the Taliban. Mohammad Radmanesh, spokesperson for the Afghan Defense Ministry, expressed hope that Rahmani's asylum request would be denied, noting that the U.S. has spent billions of dollars training Afghan security forces. He stated, 'When a soldier complains about the security situation, what should ordinary people do?' Radmanesh believes Rahmani has 'made an excuse for herself' while hundreds of educated women and civil rights activists are working in the country, claiming Afghanistan is a 'safe place' for them. According to Reuters, Rahmani, who completed flight school in 2012, was supposed to return to her country on Saturday. Her story as a woman entering a male-dominated profession in a country known for traditional attitudes towards women has garnered attention. However, her fame and success have come at a cost. She has previously stated that she and her family have been threatened not only by the Taliban but also by some of their relatives and have had to relocate several times. The news of Rahmani's asylum request has caused dissatisfaction among some Afghans on social media. Users on these platforms accuse Rahmani of taking advantage of government funds to complete her flight training. One Facebook user claimed that Niloufar Rahmani 'gave one million dollars from the pockets of the Afghan people to smugglers to go to America and request asylum from there.' In the past couple of years, several Afghan soldiers training in the U.S. have gone missing, and at least one has been arrested while attempting to cross the Canadian border.