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Four Afghan women are in Texas training to become among the first female pilots in the Afghan Air Force.
The four women, all in the early 20s, are breaking the mold in male-dominated Afghanistan as foreign troops continue to help build the nation's military. The only female pilot now in the Afghan Air Force is almost 40 and a holdover from the Soviet era.
The women arrived in the United States this month and are to be introduced today at Lackland Air Force Base, near San Antonio.
British Royal Air Force Group Capt. Adrian Hill is deputy commander of the NATO Air Training Command in Afghanistan. He called the women “very brave” and said they have the support of their families a crucial element given the nation's male-dominated culture.
