Afghanistan: High-ranking policewoman murdered in ambush

Relatives bury the body of Lieutenant Negar, a senior Afghan female police officer in Helmand, Afghanistan (EPA)

Southern Afghanistan’s top policewoman has died after being shot in an ambush, months after her predecessor was murdered.

Her death, one of the latest in a string of attacks on prominent Afghan women, could make it even harder to recruit female officers in a deeply conservative nation where just 1 per cent of the police are women.

Sub-Inspector Negar was buying grass for her lambs outside her home in Helmand province on Sunday when two gunmen rode up on a motorbike and fired at her. Negar’s funeral was attended by colleagues and family members, many vowing revenge on the attackers.

The Taliban are believed to be behind many of the recent assaults on Afghan women. Negar was the top policewoman in Helmand and had taken over the duties of Islam Bibi, a police officer shot dead in July.

AP