Women Officers from Afghan Defence Forces Complete Training at OTA Chennai

This was the second time that the Officers Training Academy in Chennai hosted female officers from Afghan Defence Forces for intensive military training

19 women officers from the Afghan Defence forces successfully completed four weeks of specialized military training at Officers Training Academy, Chennai on December 19. The training programme started on November 26 wherein the officers underwent physical training, drills, weapon training, tactical training, leadership, human resources management, and computer training. The officers were even given English communication classes. The Officers Training Academy in Chennai is the military academy in India where women cadets are trained.

Their team was led by Afghan Lieutenant Monika Alamyar, who has been serving in the Afghan National Army (ANA) for the past 5 years and has trained over 400 young women officers enrolled in the ANA. The women selected for the training programme included officers from the Afghan Army, Air Force, and Police. Last year, 19 women officers from Afghanistan underwent 3 weeks of similar training at OTA Chennai.




Second Lieutenant Zuhra Nabizada was identified as one of the best officers in the lot. She is a trainee pilot who graduated from the Afghan Air Force University and is among the few women currently serving in the Afghan Air Force.

Speaking to News Today, Zuhra said, “From a very young age I wanted to take to the skies. I am the fifth daughter in my family and I have always dreamed of becoming a fighter pilot.”

“This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. We are all looking to make maximum use of the short duration of the stay here and learn as much as we can. We want to share what we learn here with all the women cadets of Afghanistan. I want to see more women in the Afghan army,” she added.