Gunmen killed an Afghan former legislator and one of her bodyguards in a nighttime attack at her residence in Kabul, authorities reported on Sunday. Mursal Nabizada was a member of the US-backed government that was deposed by the Taliban in August 2021, news agency AFP reported.
“Nabizada, along with one of her bodyguards, was shot dead at her house,” Kabul police spokesman Khalid Zadran was quoted by AFP in its report.
“The security forces have launched a thorough investigation into the event,” he stated, adding that the former lawmaker’s brother was also injured in the attack, which occurred between Saturday and Sunday night.
Former legislator Mariam Solaimankhil described Nabizada as a “fearless advocate for Afghanistan” on Twitter.
“A true trailblazer – strong, outspoken woman who stood for what she believed in, even in the face of danger,” she wrote.
“Despite being offered the chance to leave Afghanistan, she chose to stay and fight for her people,” she added.
Nabizada, 32, was born in the eastern province of Nangarhar and was voted to the Kabul legislature in 2018.
“I am sad and angry and want the world to know!” tweeted Hannah Neumann, a member of the European parliament, in response to the killing.
🖤 Mursal Nabizada, woman parliamentarian in #Afghanistan, was brutally killed alongside her bodyguard in her home, in #Kabul.
I am sad and angry and want the world to know! She was killed in darkness, but the #Taleban build their system of Gender Apartheid in full daylight. pic.twitter.com/7bCPYQpUZs
— Hannah Neumann (@HNeumannMEP) January 15, 2023
“She was killed in darkness, but the Taliban build their system of gender apartheid in full daylight.”
In the two decades following the US-led invasion of Afghanistan, women have held major roles across Afghan culture, with many becoming judges, journalists, and politicians.
However, many women in similar occupations have departed the country since the Taliban reclaimed control.
Taliban authorities have swiftly pushed women out of practically every aspect of public life, prohibiting females from attending secondary and higher school, working in the public sector, and even visiting public parks and baths.
They have also instructed women to cover their bodies in public, preferably with a full-body burqa.
(With Inputs From AFP)
