Mutilated Afghan girl gets new prosthetic nose

Aisha, 18, had revealed to the magazine issued on August 9 that her nose and ears were sawn off by her abusive husband, with the approval of a Taliban commander, as a punishment for running away.

The magazine cover was surrounded by controversy in the US, generated by the headline "What Happens if We Leave Afghanistan" and over the use of the photo itself.

The young woman’s surgery was done in California, by the Grossman Burn Foundation, which campaigns on violence against women and does free plastic surgery.

Foundation surgeon Peter Grossman carried out the reconstruction surgery. Aisha was widely photographed afterwards and received the Enduring Heart Award at a benefit ceremony organised by the foundation.

She was given the award by California first lady Maria Shriver, the wife of California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.

"This is the first Enduring Heart award given to a woman whose heart endures and who shows us all what it means to have love and to be the enduring heart," Ms Shriver said.

Aisha, whose surname has not been revealed, was reportedly given away by her family in childhood as a "blood debt" and was subsequently married to a Taliban fighter.

She was repeatedly abused by his family and ran away but was recaptured and mutilated by her husband.

Aisha's case has been used in the West to illustrate the fear of what will happen if US, British and other international forces leave prematurely.

Some critics questioned the tone of the Time article arguing that it was using emotional blackmail and gender politics to justify continued US involvement in Afghanistan.