Afghan Sharbat Gula, famous for the portrait that Steve McCurry did in 1985 for the cover of National Geographic, arrived in Rome within the framework of the Asylum and Evacuation Program from Afghanistan, the government announced.
The executive of Mario Draghi confirmed yesterday that the arrival of Afghan, 49-year-old, responds to the requests come from civil society, specifically of active non-governmental organizations in Afghanistan.
Like many of his compatriots, Sharbat Gula had asked these entities to leave his country after the Taliban were done with their control last August, taking advantage of the exit of US troops.
In this way, the Italian Government "prompted and organized" its transfer to Italy under its Afghan evacuation program to guarantee its "reception and integration".
A young Gula surprised the world with the strength of his face and the power of his intense green eyes, thanks to a portrait carried out by Steve McCurry in a field of Pakistan with which he illustrated a report on Afghan refugees in June 1985.
Thus, he immediately became a symbol of the drama and the vicissitudes of Afghans, which at that time was in full war for the invasion of the Soviet Union.
Date Of Update: 26 November 2021, 07:28
