Afghanistan is looking to increase the number of women in the Afghan army and bring the current percentage of 3-4% up to 10%. This announcement comes after Niloofar Rahmani, their first female pilot, sought asylum in the US in December 2016 due to safety concerns after her story was featured in the press. The article below did not indicate a timeline for the percentage increase.- Desiree 

Afghanistan’s Defense Ministry says it wants to raise the number of women serving in the Afghan National Army to a level where women comprise 10 percent of the force.

Defense Ministry spokesman Mohammad Radmanesh said on January 27 that the government has set several measures, including a special salary scale for female recruits, to encourage more women to join up.

“At this stage, we have 1,575 Afghan women in our army ranks, it is a mere 3 to 4 percent — which is nothing,” Radmanesh said. “We are aiming to raise this percentage to 10 percent.”

Read More- RFERI

Image courtesy of AP