Afghanistan’s first female pilot flies again after fleeing the Taliban for a new life in Europe

Afghanistan’s first female airline pilot who fled the country when the Taliban came to power has managed to regain a place in the skies after starting a new life in Europe.

Mohadese Mirzaee, 24, made history in 2020 when she became the first woman to pilot a commercial aircraft in her native Afghanistan.

Mirzaee and an all-female crew took to the skies in a Boeing 737 and flew several flights to cities in Afghanistan and to countries such as Turkey, Uzbekistan, Saudi Arabia and India.

However, her stint with the airline company she worked for – Kam Air – was cut short a year later, in August 2021, when the Taliban regained momentum in the country and took control of the capital, Kabul.

The Taliban’s male-dominated model of society made it impossible for Mirzaee to continue her career.

Instead, Mirzaee fled Afghanistan the same day the Taliban took over and took a flight to Bulgaria, where she obtained a visa thanks to much of her education there.

Mirzaee fled Afghanistan the same day the Taliban took over and took a flight to Bulgaria, where she had obtained a visa thanks to much of her education there

Mirzaee (right) became a pilot again and took to the skies, this time over Europe

Now settling in the country, Mirzaee has completed additional flight training to earn a European pilot’s license over the course of six months.

And at the end of last year, Mirzaee became a pilot again and took to the skies, this time over Europe.

Mirazee told local media about her new found job, saying, “It’s always interesting when I go to the airports and go through the security checks.

They see me in uniform and then they check my passport. They say ‘You’re from Afghanistan’.’

In response to the surprised looks of the staff, she always proudly affirms that she is from Afghanistan.

Mirzaee has not disclosed the identity of the company where she now works for security reasons.

She remains hopeful that women from Afghanistan will continue to deliver great achievements despite the Taliban’s increasing ban on women’s rights.

Mirzaee claims that no barrier will be able to stop women from her native country.

Mirzaee added: “It’s a proud moment for me. I didn’t give up. Even though the Taliban did everything they could to take us down and take us away.’

She hopes that one day she will have the chance to return to her country after the Taliban are deposed, implying that she holds the memories of flying over the country close to her heart.

And at the end of last year, Mirzaee became a pilot again and took to the skies, this time over Europe

Mohadese Mirzaee, 24, made history in 2020 when she became the first woman to pilot a commercial aircraft in her native Afghanistan

Mirzaee (third from left) and an all-female crew took to the skies in a Boeing 737 and made several flights to cities in Afghanistan and countries such as Turkey, Uzbekistan, Saudi Arabia and India

When the Taliban seized power in August 2021 as US and NATO forces withdrew from Afghanistan after two decades of war, they initially promised a more moderate rule than during their first stint in power from 1996 to 2001.

But there is growing international outcry as Taliban leaders have gradually reimposed their strict interpretation of Islamic law, or Sharia, on women and girls.

During the 20 years after the Taliban were ousted in 2001 for harboring al-Qaeda and Osama bin Laden, the mastermind behind the 9/11 terrorist attacks in the United States, schools and universities opened for girls and women in the labor market and in politics. became judges, ministers and professors.

But now, under Taliban rule, girls have been banned from school after sixth grade and women are now virtually housebound, unable to go out and travel without a male guardian.

In late December, the Taliban banned national and international aid agencies from employing Afghan women, and on April 4, they extended the ban to include Afghan women working for the United Nations.