Woman from iconic National Geographic photo arrested

NEW YORK (FOX5NY) - The Afghan woman with the striking green eyes who appeared on the cover of National Geographic as a girl back in 1984 while living in a refugee camp was arrested on Wednesday.

Sharbat Gula, now in her 40s, was taken into police custody at a home in Peshawar, Pakistan, allegedly with fraudulent identity papers, Shahid Ilyas from the Federal Investigation Agency told the Associated Press.

She is reportedly married with two children.

Pakistan has been cracking down on fake ID cards and has launched a re-verification campaign across the country, reported the DailyMail.com.

Millions of Afghans have fled to Pakistan since the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979.

Gula's photo and the accompanying story drew international attention to the Afghan refugee crisis.

Steve McCurry, who took the iconic photo and another of Gula in 2002, posted a statement on his Facebook page Wednesday promising to help secure her release.

"I object to this action by the authorities in the strongest possible terms. She has suffered throughout her entire life, and her arrest is an egregious violation of her human rights," wrote McCurry.