Gov’t seek more women to join army

Afghanistan has announced fresh initiatives to bring more women into the army, weeks after the country’s first female pilot sparked a national debate on insecurity and women’s rights by seeking asylum in the US. The Defense Ministry wants to boost the proportion of women in the army to 10 percent, deputy ministry spokesman Mohammad Radmanesh […]

Afghanistan has announced fresh initiatives to bring more women into the army, weeks after the country’s first female pilot sparked a national debate on insecurity and women’s rights by seeking asylum in the US.
The Defense Ministry wants to boost the proportion of women in the army to 10 percent, deputy ministry spokesman Mohammad Radmanesh told AFP, confirming a slew of incentives including a special salary scale for female recruits.
“At this stage, we have 1,575 Afghan women in our army ranks, it is a mere 3 to 4 percent which is nothing,” Radmanesh said. “We are aiming to raise this percentage to 10 percent.”
Fifteen years after the end of the Taliban regime, gender equality remains a distant dream in Afghanistan despite claims of progress.
In December Niloofar Rahmani, a 25-year-old pilot lionized widely as the “Afghan Top Gun,” announced she was seeking asylum in the US, citing fears for her safety and sparking a spirited national debate.