Afghan girl from famous cover portrait is evacuated to Italy

[Tennesseer]

How many of you remember the Nationsl Geographic cover of this now woman.  I remember it well.

Afghan girl from famous cover portrait is evacuated to Italy



ROME (AP) — National Geographic magazine’s famed green-eyed “Afghan Girl” has arrived in Italy as part of the West’s evacuation of Afghans following the Taliban takeover of the country, the Italian government said Thursday.

The office of Premier Mario Draghi said Italy organized the evacuation of Sharbat Gulla after she asked to be helped to leave the country. The Italian government will now help to get her integrated into life in Italy, the statement said.

Gulla gained international fame in 1984 as an Afghan refugee girl, after war photographer Steve McCurry’s photograph of her, with piercing green eyes, was published on the cover of National Geographic. McCurry found her again in 2002.

In 2014, she surfaced in Pakistan but went into hiding when authorities accused her of buying a fake Pakistani identity card and ordered her deported. She was flown to Kabul where the president hosted a reception for her at the presidential palace and handed her keys to a new apartment.

Complete article here: Afghan girl from famous cover portrait is evacuated to Italy

[Deleted]

I remember the magazine cover, even though I was young, a teenager, when it came out. Something about that picture of her made it memorable. I also remember when they found her again years later.

I truly hope she is able to live a peaceful life in Italy.

[Tennesseer]

Nov 26, 2021 13:33:44 GMT -5 @pinkcshmere said:

I remember the magazine cover, even though I was young, a teenager, when it came out. Something about that picture of her made it memorable. I also remember when they found her again years later.

I truly hope she is able to live a peaceful life in Italy.

I have always wondered if the girl/woman's green eyes are the genetic results of Alexander the Great conquering what is today called Afghanistan around 330 B.C. After conquering Afghanistan, Alexander moved on to India. Some of Alexander's Greek troops remained in Afghanistan (then called Bactria) and started having families with the Afghanistan people.

So are the genes of the ancient Greeks still being passed onto some Afghans today? Probably.