Afghan women’s rights trailblazer survives gun attack
'THE WAR IN AFGHANISTAN IS A WAR FOR GIRLS & WOMEN' HILARY CLINTON
Fawzia Koofi (AFP)
Trailblazing Afghan women’s rights campaigner Fawzia Koofi, a member of the negotiating team that will hold peace talks with the Taliban, has been wounded in a gun attack near Kabul, officials said Saturday.
Gunmen opened fire on Koofi, 45, and her sister on Friday when they were returning from a meeting in the province of Parwan near the capital, interior ministry spokesman Tariq Arian told AFP.
Koofi, a former member of parliament and strong critic of the Taliban, was shot in her right hand, he said, adding that she was in a stable condition.
The Taliban denied they were involved in the attack on Koofi.
The attack drew strong condemnation from Afghanistan’s President Ashraf Ghani — who described it as a “cowardly attack”, according to his spokesman Sediq Seddiqi.
Abdullah Abdullah, who heads the national reconciliation council, called on Afghan authorities to bring “the perpetrators of the attack to justice”.
The chief of Afghanistan’s Independent Human Rights Commission, Shaharzad Akbar, also condemned the “horrific attack”.
“Worrying pattern of targeted attacks that can negatively impact confidence in peace process,” she wrote on Twitter.
In recent months, there have been gun attacks against human rights activists and prosecutors in Kabul.
Koofi survived a previous assassination attempt in 2010, when gunmen fired at her as she was returning to the capital after an International Women’s Day event.
She was among the few women in a pan-Afghan delegation that held several rounds of unofficial dialogue with the Taliban in 2019.
That dialogue came alongside separate negotiations between the Islamist militants and the United States in Qatar which finally led to the signing of an agreement between the two in February this year.
At the time, Koofi told AFP how she had received threats previously from militants just for wearing nail polish.
Trailblazing Afghan women’s rights campaigner Fawzia Koofi, a member of the negotiating team that will hold peace talks with the Taliban, has been wounded in a gun attack near Kabul, officials said Saturday.
Gunmen opened fire on Koofi, 45, and her sister on Friday when they were returning from a meeting in the province of Parwan near the capital, interior ministry spokesman Tariq Arian told AFP.
Koofi, a former member of parliament and strong critic of the Taliban, was shot in her right hand, he said, adding that she was in a stable condition.
The Taliban denied they were involved in the attack on Koofi.
The attack drew strong condemnation from Afghanistan’s President Ashraf Ghani — who described it as a “cowardly attack”, according to his spokesman Sediq Seddiqi.
Abdullah Abdullah, who heads the national reconciliation council, called on Afghan authorities to bring “the perpetrators of the attack to justice”.
The chief of Afghanistan’s Independent Human Rights Commission, Shaharzad Akbar, also condemned the “horrific attack”.
“Worrying pattern of targeted attacks that can negatively impact confidence in peace process,” she wrote on Twitter.
In recent months, there have been gun attacks against human rights activists and prosecutors in Kabul.
Koofi survived a previous assassination attempt in 2010, when gunmen fired at her as she was returning to the capital after an International Women’s Day event.
She was among the few women in a pan-Afghan delegation that held several rounds of unofficial dialogue with the Taliban in 2019.
That dialogue came alongside separate negotiations between the Islamist militants and the United States in Qatar which finally led to the signing of an agreement between the two in February this year.
At the time, Koofi told AFP how she had received threats previously from militants just for wearing nail polish.
Pride and stress
Koofi is now one of four women negotiators in the Afghan team that will hold direct talks with the Taliban in the coming days.
“I think this time we are going for serious talks,” she told AFP this week.
“There is a sense of pride… but in the meantime, it’s a lot of stress.
“You have to really make sure that you are perfect in many ways.”
Koofi, a widow and mother of two daughters, was the first girl in her family to attend school.
Her education was interrupted when she was forced out of medical college in 1996 as the Taliban stormed to power.
It was only after the US-led invasion in 2001 that she rose to prominence as a politician and in 2005, became the first woman to serve as the deputy speaker of Afghanistan’s parliament.
The talks with the Taliban are expected within days, aimed at ending the conflict that has ravaged Afghanistan for almost two decades.
Afghan authorities are currently releasing from jails some 400 Taliban militants, fulfilling a key demand from the insurgent group for any talks.
But the release has raised widespread international concern as some of those militants are accused of killing scores of people including foreigners in deadly attacks.
Female member of Afghanistan peace team survives attack by gunmen
Tariq Arian, a spokesman for the Interior Ministry, said Fawzia Koofi, who is also a former parliamentarian, was attacked Friday afternoon near the capital Kabul.
Published: 15th August 2020 0
For representational purposes (Express Illustrations)
By Associated Press
KABUL: A female member of Afghanistan's peace negotiating team was lightly wounded in an assassination attempt, officials said Saturday.
Tariq Arian, a spokesman for the Interior Ministry, said Fawzia Koofi, who is also a former parliamentarian, was attacked Friday afternoon near the capital Kabul while returning from a visit to the northern province of Parwan.
Koofi is part of a 21-member team charged with representing the Afghan government in upcoming peace talks with the Taliban, following a US deal with the militants that was struck in February.
The head of the Afghan peace delegation, Mohammad Masoom Stanekzai, tweeted that Koofi had survived the attack and was "in good health."
Fawzia Koofi and her sister Maryam Koofi stopped at a market in the Qarabagh district when gunmen attacked them, Arian said.
Both Taliban and an Islamic State group affiliate continue to carry out attacks against Afghan government figures, but Zabihullah Maujhid, a Taliban spokesman, denied the group was involved.
Koofi is also a women's rights activist who has been a vocal Taliban critic.
A message on her Facebook page said she suffered a wound to her right arm.
"Thankfully not a life-threatening injury," it said. Arian said police were launching an investigation.
No further details of the assault were available, he said.
The US peace deal aims to recruit the Taliban to fight Islamic State militants in Afghanistan, a mutual enemy.
The Taliban and IS are staunch rivals.
The peace deal also paved the way for U.S. and NATO forces to begin withdrawing from Afghanistan and for the Taliban and Afghan government to begin direct talks.
The Afghan government said on Friday that it had released the first 80 of a final 400 Taliban prisoners ahead of direct negotiations between the two sides.
Prisoner releases on both sides are part of the agreement signed in February between the U.S. and the Taliban.
It calls for the release of 5,000 Taliban held by the government and 1,000 government and military personnel held by the insurgent group as a goodwill gesture ahead of intra-Afghan negotiations.
Talks are expected to be held in Qatar where the Taliban maintain a political office.
Several Afghan leaders told The Associated Press talks could begin by Aug. 20.
Female member of Afghan peace team survives attack by gunmen
By RAHIM FAIEZ
FILE - In this Feb. 5, 2019, file photo, Afghan politician Fawzia Koofi speaks to media before the "intra-Afghan" talks in Moscow, Russia. Koofi survived an assassination attempt, Afghan officials said Saturday, Aug. 15, 2020. A spokesman for the Interior Ministry said that Koofi was attacked late Friday afternoon near the capital of Kabul returning from a visit to the northern province of Parwan. (AP Photo/Pavel Golovkin)
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — A female member of Afghanistan’s peace negotiating team was lightly wounded in an assassination attempt, officials said Saturday.
Tariq Arian, a spokesman for the Interior Ministry, said Fawzia Koofi, who is also a former parliamentarian, was attacked Friday afternoon near the capital Kabul while returning from a visit to the northern province of Parwan.
Koofi is part of a 21-member team charged with representing the Afghan government in upcoming peace talks with the Taliban, following a U.S. deal with the militants that was struck in February.
The head of the Afghan peace delegation, Mohammad Masoom Stanekzai, tweeted that Koofi had survived the attack and was “in good health.”
Fawzia Koofi and her sister Maryam Koofi stopped at a market in the Qarabagh district when gunmen attacked them, Arian said.
Both Taliban and an Islamic State group affiliate continue to carry out attacks against Afghan government figures, but Zabihullah Maujhid, a Taliban spokesman, denied the group was involved.
Koofi is also a women’s rights activist who has been a vocal Taliban critic. A message on her Facebook page said she suffered a wound to her right arm. “Thankfully not a life threatening injury,” it said.
Arian said police were launching an investigation. No further details of the assault were available, he said.
The U.S. peace deal aims to recruit the Taliban to fight Islamic State militants in Afghanistan, a mutual enemy. The Taliban and IS are staunch rivals.
The peace deal also paved the way for U.S. and NATO forces to begin withdrawing from Afghanistan and for the Taliban and Afghan government to begin direct talks.
The Afghan government said on Friday that it had released the first 80 of a final 400 Taliban prisoners ahead of direct negotiations between the two sides.
Prisoner releases on both sides are part of the agreement signed in February between the U.S. and the Taliban. It calls for the release of 5,000 Taliban held by the government and 1,000 government and military personnel held by the insurgent group as a good will gesture ahead of intra-Afghan negotiations.
Talks are expected to be held in Qatar where the Taliban maintain a political office. Several Afghan leaders told The Associated Press talks could begin by Aug. 20.
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