She played dead before the Taliban to survive; years later, she stood on top of the world

As bullets tore through a minibus on the road to Kabul in 2014, an 18-year-old Afghan girl lay motionless among the dead and wounded, smearing menstrual blood across her face in a desperate bid to survive a Taliban attack. 

Eleven years later, that same woman stood atop Mount Everest, having overcome war, discrimination, personal loss and extraordinary odds to reach the highest point on Earth.

Zakia Ahmad, better known as River Ahmad, is a 33-year-old Afghan mountaineer from the persecuted Shiite Hazara community. She was among the mountaineers who scaled the world’s tallest mountain in Nepal in May.

‘As a young girl, I walked four hours each way through mountains just to reach school. Those long walks taught me endurance, discipline, and the quiet strength of persistence,’ she told FairPlanet in an email.

River grew up in the mountainous district of Jaghori in Ghazni Province. 

‘Whenever life became difficult, I would climb higher into the mountains, sit quietly on a ridge, and find comfort in the stillness around me,’ she said.

Like many young Afghans, especially those from the persecuted Hazara community, River grew up amid conflict and uncertainty.

‘Climbing became the one place where I could confront my pain and find peace. The mountains gave me space to grieve,’ she explained.

Escaping the cage 

In 2014, at the age of 18, River persuaded her father to allow her to leave Ghazni for Kabul to pursue higher education. She enrolled in dentistry, but privately nurtured a dream of becoming a journalist and telling the stories of Afghan women.

Her father relented only after persistent pleading. The move to the Afghan capital marked a turning point in River’s life, opening doors to new opportunities while also exposing her to dangers that would leave a lasting mark.

The Taliban stopped the bus halfway to Kabul and opened fire on the passengers, turning an ordinary journey into a massacre.

As bullets tore through the vehicle, River realised she had only moments to act. By chance, she was menstruating at the time. In a desperate attempt to survive, she smeared blood across her face and body and remained motionless among the dead and wounded.

‘My journey to Everest did not begin at Base Camp. It began years earlier on a road to Kabul, when Taliban gunmen stopped our minibus.’

‘That experience showed me how quickly life can be taken away and strengthened my determination to live with purpose. Reaching Everest became a way of reclaiming what violence had tried to take from me, my sense of life, dignity and hope.’

In 2019, River fled Afghanistan and, after spending nearly four years in India, arrived in Australia on a humanitarian visa in 2023, carrying with her a lifelong connection to the mountains and the hope of rebuilding her life.

‘It was like living in a cage. As a young woman, I often felt that my world was defined by limitations rather than possibilities. There were constant barriers to education, freedom and self-expression, and many dreams seemed impossible to pursue,’ she explained.

River fled Afghanistan before the Taliban took power in August 2021 and began imposing further restrictions on women.

A new beginning 

After she arrived in Australia, River’s brother died by suicide - a trauma that , she says, became a turning point shaping the years that followed.

While hiking alone in the Australian bush, she paused to watch a river winding through the valley below and was struck by its quiet resilience.

‘The river kept moving no matter what stood in its way,’ she recalled.

In that moment, she found a reflection of her own journey. Inspired by the river's ability to adapt and keep flowing forward, she chose a new name for herself: River.

‘His suicide was a grief so deep it threatened to swallow me. In that darkness, I instinctively returned to the mountains.’

River trained rigorously for months, waking early each morning to run more than 25 kilometres, undertake lengthy hikes, and swim as part of her preparation.

As part of her acclimatisation, she climbed the 6,476-metre Mera Peak and the 6,119-metre Lobuche East, preparing for Mount Everest.

‘On Everest, whenever doubt crept in, I reminded myself why I was there. The mission kept me grounded. The women of Afghanistan kept me strong.’

A success of every Afghan woman 

River not only became the first Afghan woman to summit Mount Everest, but also the second Afghan ever to reach the world's highest peak. She followed Samuel Sidiqi, who made history as the first Afghan to summit Mount Everest in 2023.

Shukria Barakzai, Afghan politician and advocate for women's rights and justice, termed River’s achievement ‘a success of every Afghan woman.’

‘At a time when women and girls inside Afghanistan face unprecedented restrictions on their education, employment, movement, and public participation, her accomplishment sends a powerful message that Afghan women cannot be defined by the limitations imposed upon them,’ Barakzai told FairPlanet.

‘It also challenges stereotypes that portray Afghan women only as victims. While Afghan women undoubtedly face profound challenges, they are also leaders, professionals, athletes, entrepreneurs, artists, and agents of change.’ 

The Afghan Taliban did not respond to FairPlanet’s request for comment on River’s success, despite several attempts.

Since the Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan in August 2021, women and girls have been barred from participating in sports, forcing many female athletes into hiding or exile. Members of Afghanistan’s women’s national cricket team were among those who fled the country in search of safety and the opportunity to continue their sporting careers.

‘In many ways, Afghan women have been climbing their own metaphorical mountains for generations, overcoming war, displacement, poverty, and social and political restrictions,’ Barakzai added.

River believes her story does not end with summiting Mount Everest; rather, it marks the beginning of a new chapter. In partnership with the Baba Mazari Foundation, she is striving to raise $200,000 to help 1,000 women and girls gain access to education, scholarships, and safe environments in which to learn and thrive.

‘Climbing Everest was never the final destination for me. It was the first step in a broader mission to create hope and opportunity for others. Knowing that my journey might encourage even one girl to dream boldly and overcome the barriers placed before her makes every sacrifice and struggle worth it,’ River said.