Kabul’s military training academy is churning out
classes of enthusiastic women to serve in Afghanistan’s army, but
the realities of rising violence and a conservative society make
the future for the young recruits far from certain.
Some of the nearly 150 women training to be officers in the
latest class say they feel proud to be part of the effort to secure
the country, still racked by an insurgency by the Taliban and other
militants to topple the Western-backed government.
"I decided to join the army to save the lives of my people and
to defend ourselves," said Sakina Jafari, 21, adding that she
believed her service set an example.
"This encourages other girls to join the army’s ranks."
Afghanistan is one of the hardest places in the world to be a
woman, according to the United Nations, despite years of pressure
by women’s groups and international donors.
Women and men train separately at the base on the outskirts of
the capital, but officers say the training is similar, and includes
physical education, firearms, tactics and medical care.
Unlike many Afghans, all the women who graduate from the academy
are literate and will go into one of several non-combat roles,
including management, human resources, logistics, radio operations,
or intelligence, said Lieutenant Colonel Cobra Tanha, a 28-year
military veteran.
Some, however, may go on to assist Afghan special forces with
missions like night raids, which often require women to help with
culturally sensitive searches of homes, she said.
The United States, which has about 7,000 troops in Afghanistan
as part of a NATO-led mission to help advise and train Afghan
forces, has budgeted at least $93.5 million in 2016 to try to
increase the number of women in the military.
Despite years of investment, the Afghan army fields less than
900 women soldiers, far fewer than the goal of 5,000, according to
the U.S. government’s Special Inspector General for Afghanistan
Reconstruction (SIGAR).
Hasina Hakimi, 19, said she could not return to her home
province because of Taliban threats, and many women report facing
challenges within the army itself.
Women working in public positions are controversial in
Afghanistan. Last year, nearly 60 percent of Afghans surveyed by
the Asia Foundation said they did not consider it acceptable for
women to work in the army or police.
Even after joining, women may find obstacles to jobs and being
promoted in the military, SIGAR reported.
NATO trainers found that common reasons women cited for leaving
the security forces were "opposition from male relatives, problems
with male colleagues, low pay, family obligations, lack of
promotion or meaningful assignment opportunities, and a lack of
training and security", according to SIGAR.
Those difficulties were confirmed by Benafsha Sarwari, a
20-year-old teacher at the Kabul academy, who nevertheless
expressed determination to keep serving.
"I have experienced many challenges," she said. "We live in a
conservative society and most people are pessimistic about the
women who work outside. But we must not give up. We have to
overcome the challenges and perform our duties."