Voice of America
26 Nov 2021, 00:06 GMT+10
ROME - Italy has given safe haven to Sharbat Gula, the green-eyed 'Afghan Girl' whose 1985 photo in National Geographic became a symbol of her country's wars, Prime Minister Mario Draghi's office said Thursday.
The government intervened after Gula asked for help to leave Afghanistan following the Taliban takeover of the country in August, a statement said, adding that her arrival was part of a broader program to evacuate and integrate Afghan citizens.
U.S. photographer Steve McCurry took the picture of Gula when she was a youngster, living in a refugee camp on the Pakistan-Afghan border.
Her startling green eyes, peering out from a headscarf with a mixture of ferocity and pain, made her known internationally, but her identity was only discovered in 2002 when McCurry returned to the region and tracked her down.
An FBI analyst, forensic sculptor and the inventor of iris recognition all verified her identity, National Geographic said at the time.
In 2016, Pakistan arrested Gula for forging a national identity card in an effort to live in the country.
The then Afghan president, Ashraf Ghani, welcomed her back and promised to give her an apartment to ensure she 'lives with dignity and security in her homeland.'
Since seizing power, Taliban leaders have said they would respect women's rights in accordance with Sharia, or Islamic law. But under Taliban rule from 1996 to 2001, women could not work, and girls were banned from school. Women had to cover their faces and be accompanied by a male relative when they left home.
Get a daily dose of Malaysia Sun news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Malaysia Sun.
More Information(250711) -- PHNOM PENH, July 11, 2025 (Xinhua) -- Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet (1st R, front) attends a National Assembly session...
(250711) -- KUALA LUMPUR, July 11, 2025 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, also a member of the Political Bureau of the...
Shimla (Himachal Pradesh) [India], July 11 (ANI): The Himachal Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation (HPTDC) has urged the state...
Quetta [Pakistan], July 11 (ANI): Operation Baam, the most extensive and coordinated offensive launched by the Balochistan Liberation...
Manila [Philippines], July 11 (ANI): Three more Filipino crew members of Liberian-flagged ship 'Eternity C,' which sank in the Red...
The US president has reiterated that he is disappointed with Moscow US President Donald Trump has said he is planning to make a major...
BASTROP, Texas: In a surprising turn at Elon Musk's X platform, CEO Linda Yaccarino announced she is stepping down, just months after...
NEW YORK CITY, New York: Former British prime minister Rishi Sunak will return to Goldman Sachs in an advisory role, the Wall Street...
LONDON, U.K.: Physically backed gold exchange-traded funds recorded their most significant semi-annual inflow since the first half...
AMSTERDAM, Netherlands: Some 32 percent of global semiconductor production could face climate change-related copper supply disruptions...
NEW YORK, New York - U.S. stocks rebounded Tuesday with all the major indices gaining ground. Markets in the UK, Europe and Canada...
NEW YORK CITY, New York: Financial markets kicked off the week on a cautious note as President Donald Trump rolled out a fresh round...