Former Afghanistan lawmaker Mursal Nabizada was shot dead by gunmen at her Kabul home on Sunday. Nabizada, 32, had represented Kabul in the National Assembly before the Taliban overrun the administration and took over the country.
Nabizada's bodyguard was also killed in the attack, while her brother sustained injuries. The attack happened after midnight. "Nabizada, along with one of her bodyguards, was shot dead at her house ... The security forces have started a serious investigation into the incident," Kabul police spokesman Khalid Zadran said, according to Arab News.
Women Leaders Hunted
Political leaders and officials who were part of the US-backed regime of Afghanistan were hunted down in the immediate aftermath of the Taliban takeover. Scores of lawmakers and senior officials fled the country after the Taliban takeover. However, Nabizada was one of the few leaders who chose to stay back in the face of dire threat to life. Female politicians were especially in the crosshairs of the Taliban, who moved in quickly to bring back the regressive measures that particularly targeted women.
The Taliban National Resistance Front of Afghanistan said the Taliban was behind the killing of the young female politician. "Targeted killing assassinations and mysterious murders by the Taliban have increased in different provinces of the country. In the latest case, a man was also killed in the centre of Parwan province," the Front, which is the largest armed group resisting the Taliban in Afghanistan, said.
'A True Trailblazer'
No group has taken the responsibility for the killing of the 32-year-old politician. According to DW, the former lawmaker had criticized the Taliban's crackdown of women's rights. Just last month, the Taliban ordered that women will no longer be allowed to go to university.
"I heard the gunfire and when we went down, they (attackers) had left and my daughter was lying on the ground with blood on the bed alongside my son. The guard was also killed," Nabizada's mother told TOLO TV channel.
Former Afghan parliamentarians condemned the cold-blooded killing. "A true trailblazer - a strong, outspoken woman who stood for what she believed in, even in the face of danger ... Despite being offered the chance to leave Afghanistan, she chose to stay and fight for her people. We have lost a diamond, but her legacy will live on. Rest in peace," ," Mariam Solaimankhil, wrote on Twitter.
