Generally Modern

She was a national hero, an accomplished soldier, and champion parachutist, but bigotry and sexism have meant Khatool Mohammadzai has been forced on to the margins, write Sami Yousafzai and Ron Moreau

Brigadier General Khatool Mohammadzai during an International Women’s Day event in March. Under the Hamid Karzai regime the Pashtun soldier finds herself struggling to live up to her potential in a society that scorns women’s freedom, where Tajiks dominate the army and many women still stay in the shadows.

SHE was a national hero — and some powerful men didn’t like that.