Hawa Haidari, Afghan female commando, wants to fight MMA
Hawa Haidari, an Afghan female commando who secretly alongside U.S. Special Forces to locate and identify terrorists during the war in Afghanistan, wants to compete in mixed martial arts.
Haidari now lives with her three sisters in a two-bedroom apartment in Spokane, Washington. Her days are filled with English classes, working at an Asian fast-food restaurant, and strength, endurance and resistance training.
“I want to become an MMA fighter, fighting with people in the ring,” Haidari told Voice of America News.
In her military job, she faced much gender discrimination from Afghan men who told her to quit the platoon. She says she now enjoys the freedom to pursue her new goal.
Haidari is trying to become the first woman in Afghanistan who fights in mixed martial arts.
“In Afghanistan there are a lot of people who tell women, ‘You should be at home and can’t do this, can’t do that.’ That’s why I want to show them that women can do this.”
