Hanifa Yousoufi Is First Afghan Woman To Climb Mt. Noshaq

A 24-year-old Afghan woman, Hanifa Yousoufi, has become the first from the country to climb the country’s highest peak. On August 10, she summited her country’s highest peak, the 24,580-foot (7,492 meters) Mt. Noshaq.

Yousoufi completed this feat with the help of a Norfolk-based nonprofit, Ascend. She was part of an expedition organised by Ascend Athletics. Ascend is a nonprofit that aims to empower Afghan women through training in climbing mountains and guiding them on leadership skills. There were three women on the Noshaq expedition. Of them, Yousoufi was the only one who completed the ascent.

In a press release by Ascend, Yousoufi said, “I did this for every single girl. The girls of Afghanistan are strong and will continue to be strong.”

Hanifa was married at the age of 15 and is now divorced.

The press release states, “Afghanistan’s security environment and the cultural and logistical challenges made this project uniquely challenging. What the girls are doing is groundbreaking and somewhat dangerous because of Afghan society’s strictly prescribed conservative norms for women.”

Only two men have scaled this summit, in July 2009. Yousoufi is the first woman who climbed the country’s highest peak

In order to complete the summit, the brave climber even faced the Taliban’s attack. Despite nearby Taliban attacks, she became the first woman from her country to ever do so.

“The Taliban attacked the area the day before we were due to fly had all of us feeling very nervous,” said American photojournalist Erin Trieb, who was part of the expedition. She added, “Despite all possible odds, Hanifa reached the top. I’m incredibly proud of her and of the entire climbing team. What Hanifa did for women in her country will have a ripple effect for women everywhere.”

Hanifa had been training with Ascend to attempt Mt Noshaq since 2016. Noshaq is second highest peak in the Hindu Kush region.

Picture for representation purpose only

Also Read: Indian Women Mountaineers who Conquered Mt Everest

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Deepali Is An Intern With SheThePeople.TV