US granted asylum to former Afghan air force pilot

Beijing. May 3. Silkroadnews - The first female Afghan fixed-wing pilot of Afghanistan air force Niloofar Rahmani has been granted asylum in the United States, the Afghan Telegraph Agency (AfTAG) reports.
To remind, Rahmani filed an application for asylum in December 2016, while attending 18-month advanced training course in the United States. The final decision to grant her the right to remain in the country was taken by the US authorities after 16-month wait.
While in the US, the pilot reported that in Afghanistan, she and her family faced threats of reprisals from both anti-government forces and conservative relatives.
As noted, Niloofar Rahmani joined Afghanistan’s air force in 2012 and became the first female fixed-wing pilot in a country. In 2015 she was awarded with the U.S Secretary of State’s International Women of Courage Award.
Prior to getting the official status of refugee, the Afghan pilot faced difficulties with employment, but now this problem is expected to be solved and Niloofar hopes to find a job related to aviation, TOLO news reported.