Obama administration urged to deport Afghan female pilot

KABUL: The Obama administration has been asked to deport Afghanistan´s first woman pilot, who has requested asylum in the United States, said a Pajhwok report.

A letter, written by Afghan activists in the US, urged the president that the female pilot did not face any threats in her home country Afghanistan and she can safely assume duty in her homeland.

The White Assembly asked the US government to deport Nilofar as soon as possible that her home country has spent millions of dollars on her professional training and education.

Nilofar Rahmani, a 25-year-old pilot lionised widely as the "Afghan Top Gun" after the 1986 Tom Cruise film on flying aces, was scheduled to return to Afghanistan last week after a 15-month training course with the US air force.

But on the eve of her departure, she declared she will not be returning citing fears for her safety, triggering a storm of criticism in Afghanistan for "betraying" her nation but also garnering support from activists.

Rahmani became a symbol of hope for millions of Afghan women when she surfaced in the press in 2013 after becoming Afghanistan´s first woman pilot since the Taliban era, dressed in tan combat boots, khaki overalls and aviator glasses.

The once-unimaginable feat last year won her the US State Department´s "Women of Courage Award".