✍️ By: Hamia Naderi
Niloofar Rahmani, the girl who once dreamed of soaring through Kabul’s skies, defied all odds to become Afghanistan’s first female pilot. At 18, after hearing a radio announcement about women joining the Afghan Air Force, she stepped into the male-dominated world of aviation. In 2013, she graduated from the Air Force Academy alongside four men and soon completed her first solo flight in a Cessna 182.
A Life of Struggle
Born in Kabul in 1991, Rahmani’s family fled to Pakistan during the civil war. After the Taliban’s fall in 2001, they returned, and she finally had the chance to attend school. Her dream of flying was also her father’s unfulfilled ambition—one he couldn’t pursue due to the era’s restrictions.
Breaking Barriers
Rahmani faced relentless gender discrimination in the Air Force. Male colleagues dismissed her as a token figure, while others spread vicious rumors. Yet, she shattered one of the military’s biggest taboos: becoming the first woman to evacuate wounded soldiers and corpses from battlefields—a role previously forbidden for women.
Threats and Asylum
As her fame grew, Pakistani Taliban militants warned her to “learn from Malala’s example.” After receiving the “International Women of Courage Award” from the U.S. State Department in 2015 and completing training in the U.S., death threats forced her to seek asylum. She resettled in America in 2019—a decision that sparked backlash in Afghanistan.
A New Chapter
In the U.S., Rahmani co-authored her memoir, “Open Skies: My Life as Afghanistan’s First Female Pilot,” and founded a traditional Afghan carpet company. Today, she aspires to join the U.S. Air Force and return to the skies.
Niloofar Rahmani remains a symbol of defiance and hope for Afghan women—a trailblazer who tore through gender barriers with iron wings.
