Some things are changing in war torn Afghanistan. The life story of Safia Ferozi is truly remarkable!

As a child her family fled their home in Kabul fearing for their safety due to one of many tribal civil wars going on in the country at the time. Relocating to Pakistan they did not return home to Afghanistan until the fall of the Taliban after the US intervention.

After graduating high school and seeing a television commercial aimed at getting women to join the Afghan military she decided to join up. Once in the military Safia then applied for an open pilot position. She was the only women selected out of the 12 women that applied.

“When I wear military uniform, I really, really feel proud of myself as a woman,” Ferozi said while preparing for a flight at the air force base in the capital, Kabul. She flies a C-208, a turboprop plane used as transport for the armed forces.

Ferozi says she hopes to inspire other women. “As a woman you face many challenges, but you have to deal somehow with all those problems,” she said. – AP

Afghanistan’s Air Force consists of about 100 aircraft which includes light attack fixed wing aircraft and attack helicopters. Their military has just under 200,000 members of which about 1800 are women.

Featured Image Courtesy of the AP/Rahmat Gul