Malalai was an
Afghan woman who became
legend by being part of the
Battle of Maiwand, during the
Second Anglo-Afghan War, in
1880. The
British troops were moving north toward an Afghan army. When the two met, fighting was fierce (and would continue for two days). The
soldiers bearing the red Afghan
flag of war were killed, and Malalai took the flag (some versions say instead that she used her own
veil) and held it up to encourage the soldiers on her side throughout the battle. She became a
heroine after the Afghan victory, and there are still
streets,
schools, and a
hospital (founded by the
Revolutionary Assocation of the Women of Afghanistan) named after her in
Afghanistan and
Pakistan.
Sources:
http://afghanwomensmission.org/programs/
http://www.afghanmagazine.com/july99/articles/flag/
http://www.afghan-web.com/history/chron/index3.html
http://www.drizzle.com/~roscoe/White1.html