S. Ghilzai
February 3, 2016
General Khatool Mohammadzai was the first female paratrooper.
Khatool Mohammadzai was seventeen years old when military recruiters came to her high school. When her class was asked if anyone wanted to join the army, Mohammadzai raised her hand. Mohammadzai then started training with the national army, where she decided she wanted to be a paratrooper. Mohammadzai is the first female Afghan paratrooper. She has ‘jumped’ more than 600 times. Mohammadzai has had a colorful career as a paratrooper-she has jumped, fought for the country, won a national parachute competition, and taught others how to paratroop-even during the Taliban time. She was the first woman to be promoted to general since the Soviets had left the country, and she is a 35 time decorated soldier. Unfortunately, she has not jumped since 2006 since she has been relocated to office work in the Defense Ministry.
The Female Afghan General
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