There was an angry reaction in Afghanistan to news that the first female fixed-wing pilot in the country's air force is requesting asylum in the United States after completing an 18-month training course.
The Defense Ministry in Kabul confirmed Sunday that Capt. Niloofar Rahmani, 25, had sought asylum after the Wall Street Journal quoted her as saying that she fears her life will be in danger if she returns home.
A recipient of the U.S. State Department's "Women of Courage" award in 2015, Capt. Rahmani has been a symbol of efforts to improve the situation of women in her country, more than a decade after the fall of the Taliban regime.