‘She betrayed our country’: Afghan ‘Top Gun’ pilot seeks US asylum, sparking anger and debate

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Afghan pilot Niloofar Rahmani had been due to return from a training stint in the US but decided to stay out of fear for her safety in Afghanistan. Photo: Xinhua

Published: 10:24am, 27 Dec 2016Updated: 9:56pm, 27 Dec 2016

The shock announcement that Afghanistan’s first woman fixed-wing pilot is seeking asylum in the US has touched off a spirited national debate on the country’s most vexing issues: insecurity, women’s rights and mass exodus of young people.

Niloofar Rahmani, a 25-year-old pilot lionised widely as the “Afghan Top Gun”, was scheduled to return to Afghanistan last week after a 15-month training course with the US air force.

But on the eve of her departure, she declared she will not be returning citing fears for her safety, triggering a storm of criticism in Afghanistan for “betraying” her nation but also garnering support from activists.

Afghan pilot Niloofar Rahmani had become a celebrity thanks to her status as the first woman pilot of fixed-wing aircraft in her home country. Photo: Xinhua

“What she said in the US was irresponsible and unexpected. She was meant to be a role model for other young Afghans,” defence ministry spokesman Mohammad Radmanesh said on Monday. “She has betrayed her country. It is a shame.”

You, Niloofar, who touched the skies from the ashes of our land have shamed our flag

Photojournalist Maryam Khamosh

Rahmani became a symbol of hope for millions of Afghan women when she surfaced in the press in 2013 after becoming Afghanistan’s first woman pilot since the Taliban era, dressed in tan combat boots, khaki overalls and aviator glasses.