A female provincial official known for fighting for women's rights has been gunned down in southern Afghanistan, following a day of fighting in the region that left 22 militants dead, officials said.
A Taliban spokesman, Qari Yousef Ahmedi, claimed responsibility for Sunday's attack.
Gunmen killed Sitara Achakzai outside of her home in the city of Kandahar and then drove off, said Matiullah Khan Qateh, police chief of Kandahar province. He said the four men drove up on two motorcycles and shot Achakzai as she was getting out of her car.
Achakzai, a dual German-Afghan citizen, spent the years of Taliban rule in Germany and returned to her native country to fight for women's rights, said Shahida Bibi, a member of the Kandahar women's association who worked with Achakzai.
A member of Kandahar's provincial council, Achakzai was vocal in encouraging women to take jobs and encouraging them to fight for equal rights, Bibi said.
The day before in neighbouring Zabul province, Afghan soldiers and police killed 22 militants in a night-time gun battle, the Interior Ministry said in a statement. The ministry said an Afghan army convoy had came under attack and police came to its aid.
The US military separately reported that Afghan and coalition forces killed four militants Saturday in the same area – the Shinkay district of Zabul province. It was not immediately clear if the reports referred to the same incident.
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