Man Arrested in Afghan Woman's Mutilation

Dec. 7, 2010— -- An Afghan man who helped mutilate his young daughter-in-law after she tried to flee her marriage has been arrested for abetting the crime.

The father-in-law, named Suliman, is being held in an Afghanistan jail, according to Women for Afghan Women, and has confessed to holding a gun to the young girl's head while her nose and ears were cut off.

Ayesha, the young woman, is safely in the United States where she is undergoing a series of reconstructive surgeries.

Police are still searching for her husband and her brother-in-law, who performed the mutilation.

Women for Afghan Women has opened a bank account in Bibi Aisha's name to cover the considerable expenses of caring for her and to start a trust fund for her future. Donors can contribute at this website: http://www.womenforafghanwomen.org/front_lines.php.

Once known only as "Bibi," Ayesha's story has become an example of the brutality of the Taliban and also the resilience of a young woman.

She was featured on the cover of Time magazine this year and, in October, was honored with the Enduring Heart award from the Los Angeles-based Grossman Burn Foundation, which provided her facial reconstruction.

Ayesha came to the United States in August to undergo eight months of reconstructive procedures. She is living with host families in California and is accompanied by aides who are fluent in her language, Farsi. Ayesha receives round-the-clock care and regular counseling, and she loves listening to Afghan music on YouTube and making necklaces out of beads for her new families.

In October, Ayesha was fitted with a special prosthesis, which she can apply herself every day with a special skin adhesive. Thanks to the Hollywood-style effects, Ayesha can again face the world without drawing stares.

Ayesha, was married to a man in the Taliban when she was 12 years old.

After enduring years of abuse, including being forced to sleep in the stables with animals, Ayesha tried to run away but was caught. The village men handed down her sentence, and Ayesha's husband sliced off her nose and ears while his brother held her down.

Left for dead, she managed to crawl to her uncle's house, but he refused to help her. Ayesha kept on until a relative finally took her to a hospital run by an American military medical team. The hospital cared for her for more than two months, ensured her safety, and gave her something she had not received before -- kindness.