Afghanistan's First Female Military Helicopter Pilot
Latifa Nabizada arrives and the first thing I notice are her feet. She’s wearing hiking boots speckled with the grey mud from outside. It’s not the usual footwear for women in Kabul, who typically trudge around icy puddles and ditches in thin court shoes and socks. Latifa is dressed to keep warm, not to keep up with fashion - there’s something practical and confident about her.
Her five-year-old daughter Malalai holds her hand. She’s a small, quick-eyed girl with dark hair and a small birthmark near her eyebrow. It’s a strange thing to say but it kind of suits her – she’s a different sort of kid. When I ask Malalai what she wants to drink, she confidently replies that she’d like a coffee. It’s not the answer I’m expecting from a five-year-old but Latifa nods that it’s okay. It’s not long before Malalai is wriggling next to me, inspecting my hands and pressing the buttons on my digital running watch.
Malalai has seen more of Afghanistan than many of the white-bearded men who run this country. She’s been travelling in the cockpit of military helicopters since she was two months old; her mother is an Afghan army pilot. The military didn’t provide any childcare because there are so few female pilots. So Malalai has tagged along with her mum on missions across the country. If the Afghan military had a frequent flyer program, Malalai would be a platinum member.
