The daring woman author and the Afghani woman warlord

 It is not unusual for us to hear stories about powerful women in business, politics, sports, etc. There are however other women, living in extremely hostile environments (-hostile in more ways than one), who challenge the set norms and lead with courage and remind us that heroes and leaders can be found in any part of the world and under the most unexpected circumstances.

Jennifer Percy is the author of ‘Demon Camp- A soldier’s exorcism,’ that talks about PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) in America.  During her stay in Afghanistan she managed to meet and then subsequently stay the night at Afghanistan’s only known female warlord- Bibi Aiyesha, also known as Commander Pigeon.

Both Percy and Commander Pigeon are leaders. Where Percy, an American woman in Afghanistan, dares to travel for miles to research and fix probable fatal meetings with warlords; Commander Pigeon lives and fights for what she believes in, even with danger and death lurking around her head at all times.

Percy reports how difficult it was for her to reach the female warlord, but she was determined to meet her. She wrote in New Republic: “She certainly sounded very different from any of the Afghan women I had met or heard about. I’d been talking to women in shelters, victims of domestic violence, or kidnapped girls working as sex slaves for commanders.”

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Percy also mentions what Commander Pigeon’s Facebook fan page said:  “She has proven to the world that women of Afghanistan are not victims; she’s more stronger than any women in the world today.” After going through the Salang pass, a tight, twisting section of potholed road, clogged with Pakistani jingle trucks, a two mine long tunnel, spending the night a floor above what sounds like a torture chamber, and crossing a frozen river, Percy finally managed to reach Commander Pigeon.

The idea of a female warlord in a country like Afghanistan- one of the most challenging places in the world to be a woman in; is very intriguing. Percy takes us through the events that turned Bibi Ayesha into Commander Pigeon. She picked up weapons when she saw her son get killed by the Talibans and today heads and trains a new militia of female jihadists to fight the Taliban.

Having lost over of dozen of close relatives, including her son, Commander Pigeon now lives in on the other side of the Hindu Kush, over a pass called the Khotal-e Salang.

ORIGINAL SOURCE: New Republic

http://www.newrepublic.com/article/119772/my-night-afghanistans-only-female-warlord-commander-pigeon