The US government has positively responded to the application of Nilofar Rahmani and has granted her asylum due to the fears of persecution she faced in Afghanistan, it has been reported.

Rahmani, Afghanistan’s first fixed-wing air force pilot, had applied for the asylum after reaching in United States in 2015.

She was informed regarding the decision of the government to grant asylum on Monday, according to The Wall Street Journal.

Kimberly Motley, Rahmani’s lawyer, told the paper her client received death threats from insurgents and members of her extended family, as well as condemnation from Afghan government officials. She first came to the United States in 2015 for training.

Motley further added that Rahmani’s family has relocated several times due to death threats. “If she were to return to Afghanistan, she would be in fear of her safety,” Motley said.

Rahmani was awarded the International Women of courage Award by the US Department of State in 2015.

In regards to her decision to seek asylum in US, the Afghan Ministry of Defense spokesman Mohammad Radmanish told the WSJ that Rahmani “has the right to live where she wants.”