We all remember the beautiful Afghan girl from the magazine cover. The famous ‘green-eyed’ Afghan Girl from National Geographic magazine has arrived in Italy. As part of the West’s evacuation of Afghans following the Taliban‘s takeover of the nation, the Italian authorities announced on Thursday. The office of Premier Mario Draghi says Sharbat Gulla was in Italy, as a part of the evacuation program. This happens after her request for assistance in leaving the country. However, the Italian government will now assist her in adjusting to life in Italy.
Gulla rose to worldwide prominence as an Afghan refugee girl in 1984. When war photographer Steve McCurry took picture of her with piercing green eyes. Her green eyes made headlines. It was on the cover of National Geographic magazine. McCurry tracked her down again in 2002. She appeared in Pakistan in 2014 but went into hiding. After officials accused her of purchasing a fraudulent Pakistani identification card and ordered her deported. She moved to Kabul. There the president welcomed her with a banquet at the presidential palace. She was given the keys to a new apartment.
Her green eyes made headlines
Following the departure of US soldiers and the Taliban takeover in August, Italy was one of several Western countries that flew hundreds of Afghans out of the country. In a statement announcing Gulla’s arrival in Rome, Draghi’s office said her photograph had come to “symbolize the vicissitudes and conflict of the chapter in history that Afghanistan and its people were going through at the time.” It stated that it had received requests “from those in civil society, particularly non-profit organizations working in Afghanistan,” in support of Gulla’s request for assistance in leaving the country.
The statement says, her trip to Italy was “a part of the larger evacuation program in place for Afghan citizens. The government certainly plans for their reception and integration.”