After years of living in war-torn Afghanistan and as a refugee in Pakistan, the stunning green-eyed woman on the cover of National Geographic’s June 1985 edition has been evacuated to safety. Where is the most famous Afghan refugee now?
At the time, Sharbat Gula was but a child and immediately became the most famous Afghan refugee. However, the young woman remained stuck in Pakistan till now.
As countries open borders for more Afghan refugees following the United States military withdrawal from Afghanistan, the now-adult woman has reached safety.
Sharbat Gula has been evacuated to Italy. The Italian government announced the news in a statement saying;
“Afghan citizen Sharbat Gula has arrived in Rome.”
Apparently, Rome made the move in response to pleas from non-profit organizations working in Afghanistan to help her leave the Taliban-controlled country.
“We organized for her to travel to Italy as part of the wider evacuation program in place for Afghan citizens and the government’s plan for their reception and integration.”
After being immortalized on the June 1985 cover of National Geographic cover, the green-eyed Afghan arguably became Afghanistan’s most famous refugee. American photographer Steve McCurry captured the bewitching shot of the young girl in a Pakistan camp.
Sharbat Gula first arrived in Pakistan as an orphan, some four or five years after the Soviet invasion of 1979. She is one of the millions of Afghan refugees who sought refuge across the border.
She was deported back to Afghanistan in 2016 after she was arrested for living in Pakistan on fraudulent identity papers. Then in early September, Rome said it had evacuated almost 5,000 Afghans from Afghanistan after the Taliban seized power in August.
