Taliban kill Afghanistan's most high-profile policewoman

Monday 29th September, 06:24 AM JST

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan —

Taliban militants shot dead the most high-profile female police officer in Afghanistan Sunday and killed four more policemen in other attacks.

The new violence, part of a Taliban-led insurgency sweeping Afghanistan, came as security officials said they had killed about 30 rebels in various operations, although there were allegations that civilians were among the dead.

Malalai Kakar, the most senior policewoman in the southern city of Kandahar and a mother of six, was shot dead by gunmen who had been waiting outside her home, government officials said.

Her teenage son, who was driving her to work, was badly hurt.

“Malalai Kakar died in front of her house. Her son was wounded,” Kandahar province government spokesman Zalmay Ayoobi said.

A doctor in the city’s main hospital said Kakar, aged around 40, was shot in the head. “She died on the spot and her son was badly injured,” he said on condition of anonymity.

A spokesman for the extremist Taliban movement said the assassins were from his group.

“We killed Malalai Kakar,” spokesman Yousuf Ahmadi said. “She was our target and we successfully eliminated our target.”

President Hamid Karzai said in a statement the killing was an “act of cowardice” by Afghanistan’s “enemies.”

The European Union in Afghanistan said Kakar had been an example to others in her country and her murder was “particularly abhorrent.”

Kakar was regularly profiled in international media and was known for her courage in one of Afghanistan’s most conservative provinces.

She headed a team of at least 10 women police officers and had reportedly received numerous death threats.

Kandahar is the birthplace of the extremist Taliban, who rose to take control of government in 1996 before being removed in a U.S.-led invasion in 2001.

In another attack on police, a suicide bomber on a motorbike blew himself up near two police vehicles in the border town of Spin Boldak near Kandahar, police said.

Three policemen and three civilians were killed, and 17 people wounded, provincial police chief Matiullah Khan Qate said.

Ahmadi, the Taliban spokesman, confirmed that his militia was involved.

In the eastern province of Paktika meanwhile, a police vehicle hit a roadside bomb and one policeman was killed and one wounded, provincial police said. Taliban said they were responsible.

Police officers are among the Taliban’s main targets, with around 750 killed in the past six months, according to the interior ministry.

In other violence, a government official said police had ambushed and killed 17 Taliban insurgents in Helmand province on Saturday.

The U.S.-led coalition said meanwhile it killed six militants in eastern Afghanistan the same day.

And an Afghan army colonel said 10 Taliban were killed in a battle in the southwestern province of Farah Sunday.

The coalition said it was investigating allegations it killed three civilians in a pre-dawn raid on a home in the eastern province of Kunar, although it believed the dead were al-Qaida operatives.

“Initial reports show no civilian or coalition casualties,” it said in a statement, adding, “The incident is still under investigation.”

Wire reports

Latest 15 of 33 Total Comments Show All

CavemanLawyer at 02:51 PM JST - 29th September

In cyberspace you can say anything. Maybe you serve. maybe you dont.

A majority of active duty military support Obama. Its a fact. I cannot tell you the precise reasons why, but USAFdude's reasons are shared by many I imagine. They are sick of Iraq. The fight was in Afghanistan. It should have stayed there.

BTW, geography lesson: Iraq doesn't border Afghanistan; hardly a "neighbor" that it would overrun.

Afghanistan is in the neighborhood though. But I think it is pretty unlikely that Iraq could get through Iran to attack Afghanistan except in a paranoid and delusional far right wing imagination. Reminds me of the Sudetenland being described as a spear in the side of Germany. Somebody needs to remind a certain someone that Iraq is way broken. Any more broken and they will be fighting with rocks and spears. They will not be toppling Iran soon.

When he couldn't be stopped from attacking Iraq, he sent in inadequate forces to do the job, till the surge.

Small correction, but he sent plenty of troops to militarily defeat Iraq. What he did not do was send enough to quell potential unrest. I do not think the troops were trained properly for that task either. I expect somebody is going to whine big time, but that is why nothing should have been done without the U.N.'s full support. And anyone who wants go complain and insult the U.N. and its peacekeeping missions will be reminded that the U.S. and its long but very thin list of allies has failed to keep the peace for five and a half years now.

Afghanistan will become safer by the year with us and Nato routing the Taliban on a daily basis.

How many years of routing is it going to take? Would you please ditch the stupid sloganeering?

The war on terror is going fine, no sane person would change tactics.

You only say so because no 9/11 type event has recurred on American soil, an event that simply cannot be topped. The war on terra is not going remotely according to plan, let alone fine. We do not have OBL, and al-Quaida was given a new sand box to play in thanks to the invasion of Iraq. Our partnership with Pakistan is not going so well, terror attacks continue throughout the world, even on our embassies.

More importantly, we are losing ground in the goal of liberating Afghanistan from the Taliban. Probably a goal we never should have undertaken. We cannot kill them all, and that is about the only way to dissuade them and stop their teachings. They are Afghanis, and Afghanistan is as much theirs as it is the Afghanis that prefer what we have to offer. Our problem with the Taliban was singular: they would not give us bin Laden or other al-Quaida operatives without conditions, and we refused to negotiate. We should have focused on bin Laden and his men and got the heck out. Maybe even tried a little negotiation.

Forced regime change does not work. It cannot work. You cannot force a people to accept your values and expect them to function as we do. It just cannot be done. And that goes for Iraq too. There is going to be a fight, and all we can do is prolong it. Who wins is up to the people.

McCain will ensure women like this poice officer, can go about their duties without fear, in both Iraq and Afghanistan.

Even though Bush failed despite near seven years of promises? Nah. I think not.

This poor woman was killed by the same kind of folks taht are killing in Iraq.

The Taliban and Iraqi insurgents are not the same.

And how did it get to be "poor woman"? I never heard of her until today. The article does not say why see was targeted, but I suspect the "high profile" angle has a lot to do with it, and not just the fact that she was a working woman. Anyway, who knows what other things the Taliban may have had against her? For all I know, she might have been famous for abusing Taliban detainees Abu Ghraib style. I simply do not know and I bet no one else here does either, so spare us the reactionary remorse.

The Taliban were not originally terrorists. They were just a powerful group of religious nutters who controlled most of Afghanistan had some terrorist allies. Now that they have been lumped with their al-Quaida allies, it is not surprising that they are acting more and more like them.

I have no love for the Taliban. But it would have been smarter to manipulate them than try to bury them. Now we have a guaranteed enemy in the Taliban for years to come, and they are not going away. Luckily, I do not think they will ever be on the scale of al-Quaida, copy as they might. --Cirroc
Alinsky4prez at 02:59 PM JST - 29th September

I repeat. In cyberspace you can claim anything, even that you are a lawyer.

"A majority of active duty military support Obama. Its a fact. I cannot tell you the precise reasons why..."
ThuleSociety at 03:07 PM JST - 29th September

I agree with TheNewFed. The war must bew faught on 2 fronts.

Patriotic Americans will continue to support our war on terror in Iraq and Afghanistan.Us folks with a deep knowledge of international affairs, know that to not continue our nation building, will end in disaster.

We don't need civil wars or terrorist training camps re-emerging in Iraq and Afghanistan. Guys in the military i know, all believe we must stay the course, or leave a dangerous situation behind, that will come back to haunt us, with possibly another 9/11 scenario.

Patriots know victims such as this policewoman need protection until they live in safe circumstances.

McCain is determined to continue this war, thank god! Maybe the war lasts 5 or 100 years, the main thing is we stay the course, and don't take the easy way out like cowards.
BarryHObarmy at 03:20 PM JST - 29th September

Hey guys, Obama is ,like, the guy who can make thing better. I saw on tv that John McCain will die of cancer soon, and if he is president when he dies , a woman who is a religous nut will be president.

Obama said we have to leave IRaq, yeah man,it cost lots of bucks too.

Obama is clever, kinda, know what i'm saying? He will get Bin Laden guy and make him pay for being bad. Obama is gonna sort out Afghanistan, he is a cool dude.
moonbeams at 03:32 PM JST - 29th September

First, this article makes me feel totally sick. Taliban need to be taken out. But is that even possible without destroying innocent communities?

Okay, I just want to analyze this post.

The Taliban kill yet another innocent, yet somw want us to cut and run, beyond belief!!

cut and run. who wants to "cut and run" from Afghanistan? Isn't "cut and run" the terms Bush used to criticize those who criticized his war?

McCain will make sure the Taliban are routed and sooner tahn later OBL will be caught or killed. He will also carry on the good work in Iraq, and will stay until the nation is secure.

Okay.

All patriotic folk know that we are fighting on 2 fronts,we shall not leave Iraq in the lurch, that would not be fulfilling our duties.

Tying being for the war in Iraq to patriotism. However, let's think about why we went to Iraq. Everyone should know this. Who launched us into Iraq the first time? Who's family has interests in oil? Bush, Sr. Who brought us back? Jr. Who profited from the war? Didn't Haliburton, the company which was run by Cheney prior to him becoming VP, get exclusive contracts in Iraq? Who has benefited the most? Was it not proved that Bush had a plan about Iraq before 911?

Terror will be dealt a harsh blow when McCain is elected.

Terror.. be scared.

Okay, listen and think for yourself. Terror is an ideology. It's not matter. Like an energy, it cannot be destroyed. Terror cannot be fought with violence. Any violent act against "terrorists" creates more people who use terrorism as a weapon in their wars.

Your party likes to throw around the T word to keep you afraid. If you are afraid, you are easily manipulated. This is the whole point behind terrorism. Look at Al Qaida. Everyone was panicked about another attack on the homeland. However, if you look at Al Qaida's history, they sparcely stage major attacks. Their goal is not to kill us. Their goal is to strike our pride, our hearts, make us panic. When we forget 911, they will come back and hit us again.

I understand your points and way of thinking. McCain will keep us safe from terrorists. He will kill them before they kill us.

Yeah, yeah, that's the same thing a campaigner for Bush told me in 2004 when I asked, "Why should I vote for Bush."]

Don't buy into all the fear.
CavemanLawyer at 03:45 PM JST - 29th September

I repeat. In cyberspace you can claim anything,

We heard you the first time. I am just telling you that it does not really matter. Obviously no matter what someone claims to be here, they do not speak for that group.

even that you are a lawyer.

or even a caveman!

"A majority of active duty military support Obama. Its a fact. I cannot tell you the precise reasons why..."

If there was some sort of point to italicizing the last part, it escapes me. I can only tell you what was relayed to me, and it did not include specific reasons. --Cirroc
ThuleSociety at 03:56 PM JST - 29th September

moonbeams- Us patriots are not scared of the word "terror", we get into action to fight it. The only party dedicated to wiping out terror are the Republicans.

Obama will run away, like a cowardly custard. Bwahahahahaha.

Women like this sadly deceased police officer will soon be safe due to US and her allies military force. We will stay the course in Iraq and in Afghanistan, the 2 homes of world terror. I guess it takes a true patriot to be wiling to sacrifice Dollars and lives for the greater bgood, then so be it.
USARonin at 04:03 PM JST - 29th September

Here are troops in Iraq that support Obama:

http://www.snopes.com/photos/military/reenlist.asp
Nippon5 at 06:06 PM JST - 29th September

Sad to hear that she died..

With that said, the attack on the taliban was not a major US operation, in fact it was very few American military involved. Seems strange that anyone remembers it any other way... It was mostly Tailiban troops called the Afghan Northern Alliance..

From Wiki..... with ground forces supplied primarily by the Afghan Northern Alliance. In 2002, American, British and Canadian infantry were committed, along with special forces from several allied nations. Later, NATO troops were added.

Seems strange that USAFdude and TheNewfed are never posting the same time... maybe they are the same 15 year old who uses 100 scrren names and makes post to see reaction...

The Taliban were not originally terrorists

Tell that to an Afghan woman!!!
Nippon5 at 06:07 PM JST - 29th September

correction not"it was mostly Tailiban troops" it was to read it was mostly anti-Taliban troops...."
Sarge at 07:38 PM JST - 29th September

Now and then the Taliban manage to get in a successful strike against humanity; mostly they get killed or captured.
moonbeams at 07:41 PM JST - 29th September

ThuleSociety,

You don't get it. You can't fight terror. When you do, you just inflame it.

Thank you for loving our country. But don't be so rash to equate loving your country with embarking on foolish missions that benefit those with oil interests. If our administration really cared about liberating people, why didn't we take any action against the SPDC?
McNeoCon at 08:00 PM JST - 29th September

only a democrat would try and say we arent winning The war on Teror because someone got killed. President Bush said fledgling democracyies would always have a challenge, and in the mean time Afghanistan and her neighbor Iraq are free from the misrule of tyrants, no attacks on US soil since 911, burkahs are of the woman, kids are in school so no wonder the left is flailing. President McCain, the 44th President of the greatest ever nation will finish the fantastic job Prsident Bush commenced. God Bless America!
Sarge at 09:41 PM JST - 29th September

"mccain is done."

I doubt it. We'll see, won't we?

"the debate made him look look like a bitter old man"

Truly delusional. McCain was cool, confident and in control. Obama's the one who looked bitter.
Betzee at 11:00 PM JST - 29th September

why didn't we take any action against the SPDC?

Very few people know the SPDC (State Peace and Development Council) is the military junta which came to power Burma in 1962 and has remained there through repression and forced labor. Truly one of the most deplorable regimes in the world, but not on the "regime change" list. The government did recently move the capital from Rangoon to a remote, interior location. This may have been done to make toppling it harder should outside powers become so inclined.

And this is the problem with regime change, an essential element of the Bush doctrine. What's the best way to preclude it? Acquire nuclear weapons and the US can't take you on. In fact the Burmese government, flush with natural gas revenues, is shopping for nukes on the black market. We could undercut the authority of such governments overnight by developing alternative sources of energy. But it ain't gonna happed if we go down the "drill, baby, drill" road.