A Moment of Silence
Sep 25th, 2006 at 8:56 am by Susie
Thanks to the work we’ve done in Afghanistan, the Taliban is stronger than ever and a good woman is dead:
KANDAHAR, Afghanistan (AP) — Two gunmen on a motorbike killed the provincial director of Afghanistan’s Ministry of Women’s Affairs outside her home Monday in apparent retribution for her efforts to help educate women, officials said.
Safia Ahmed-jan was slain outside the front gate of her home in this southern Afghan city as she was walking to her office, said Tawfiq ul-Ulhakim Parant, senior adviser to the women’s ministry in Kabul.
Aleem Sidique, spokesman for the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan, said the U.N. was ”appalled at this senseless murder.”
”What we need to see in Afghanistan is peace, development and progress,” Sidique said. ”We share the sentiment of the majority of Afghan people who are appalled at this killing.”
Ahmed-jan was known for being an active proponent of women’s rights in this former Taliban stronghold, a region where insurgents have turned increasingly violent the last several months.
Her secretary said one of Ahmed-jan’s most successful projects was running trade schools. ”She was always trying her best to improve education for women,” Abdullah Khan said.
