Contrary to the rumors that Safia Ferozi, the woman helicopter pilot for the Afghan Army, was stoned to death by the extremists, she has surfaced in the United States. Ferozi, her husband and their five-year-old daughter were flown out of Afghanistan by the U.S. Forces, in August.
Ferozi was among a group of four female pilots who served in the Afghan forces prior to its surrender to the Taliban.
Woman in Gruesome Stoning Images Was Not Ferozi
The rumors surrounding Ferozi's death by stoning in Kabul surfaced in August. A picture showing a badly bloodied woman begging the crowd for mercy as they pelted stones at her. A video clip of the incident had also surfaced.
"Safiya Firozi one of the 4 four Lady Pilots of #Afghanistan Air Force was stoned to DEATH by #Taliban today morning. #AfghanWomen are brink of complete extermination by Taliban Rules," a user tweeted along with a picture.
Reuters had claimed that it wasn't Ferozi in the viral picture, but a woman named Farkhunda Malikzada who was falsely accused of burning the Koran and was murdered in May, 2015. The ghastly image of the 27-year-old was published by several news outlets including The Times and Al Jazeera.
Where is Ferozi in U.S.?
Claiming to be living on the west coast of the U.S. Ferozi denied that news about her death by stoning in Kabul. Speaking to Stars and Stripes, Ferozi revealed that she, along with her husband Jawad Najafi, and their daughter Nargis were flown out of Kabul on 15 August.
"An American adviser had helped the family board a U.S. military transport plane to Qatar, she said. The aviator said that they were taken to the U.S. military base in Qatar, where she gave birth to a baby girl.
Claiming that she did not have internet access while in Qatar, Ferozi said she wasn't aware of the rumors surrounding her death. It was only when a doctor showed her the viral social media posts she got to know following which her husband, also a pilot in Afghan army, started messaging relatives about her being safe. "If I was in Afghanistan, I'm sure it would have happened to me," Ferozi told the outlet.
After spending three months at a military base in New Jersey, Ferozi intends to move and settle in Oregon.
