Afghanistan’s first female pilot flees Taliban in Bulgaria
The first woman pilot in the civil aviation of Afghanistan is a refugee there. Five months after fleeing the Taliban, 23-year-old Mohades Mirzai has been approved to receive permanent status in Bulgaria, bTV reports.
In hours, her life turned 180 degrees. On August 15, instead of flying a Boeing 737 to Istanbul, Mohades left Afghanistan as a refugee to survive.
I was standing in front of the plane and I had to decide whether to leave or stay. I thought about everything I left – my family, my home, my friends and my dream job. I was also afraid of the Taliban who had invaded the airport. I was scared. to death! On the phone, my mother said, “Run! Run!” The Taliban will be after you, not us. You are in danger, “said Mohades.
Everything she has remains behind her, but she is alive. The family splits – her mother and sisters are evacuated from Afghanistan to Albania.
On his birthday – August 17, Mohades landed in Bulgaria.
“In 2021, it’s as if I grew up not by one, but by five years. You lose hope, you lose meaning. But I decided that I will not just lose heart and cry, but will fight for my rights as a woman and if my dream is to fly – I will follow her! “, the young woman shared.
In addition to becoming Afghanistan’s first female civil aviation pilot, Mohades is one of the 100 most influential and inspiring women in 12 months, according to the BBC.
“The hardest thing is to land the plane smoothly and feel the moment of contact with the ground,” says Mohades, while piloting a plane in the simulator.
So far, without status and documents, the young girl can not apply for a job as a pilot.
“I set a goal – I will be in the cockpit again by next August! Until my next birthday!” Mohades said.
Because in the sky she feels happiest: “I feel free, all the problems on earth seem so small. I feel freedom – as if I have wings and fly!”.
