The women receiv­e weapon­s traini­ng and learn tactic­s and logist­ical and naviga­tional skills at the academ­yNEW DELHI: From shooting an AK-47 to dealing with computer-simulated sieges, 20 Afghan women officers are being put through their paces at a military training academy in India. They are the first Afghan women to attend the academy in the south Indian city of Chennai, which has been training men from the country’s military for several years. The women receive weapons training and learn tactics and logistical and navigational skills at the academy, the only military training establishment in India for both men and women. Niloofar Rahmani was hailed as a role model for Afghan women after becoming the first female fixed-wing pilot in the Afghan air force. More than 15 years after the fall of the regime gender equality remains a distant dream, in spite of official promises.

Source: The Express Tribune December 13, 2017 12:51 UTC