Taliban murder leading Afghan female rights activist

The list of Taliban atrocities grows against those who provided hope to a nation. As reported on CTV (Female politician's murder a 'blow' to Afghan society), the Taliban have claimed responsibility for the brutal murder of a female member of Kandahar's Provincial Council, Sitara Achakzai, on Sunday afternoon. According to the report:

Ahmed Wali Karzai, chair of Kandahar's provincial council and brother to Afghan President Hamid Karzai, said Achakzai's murder will likely deter women from seeking elected office or taking other government jobs...

Lauryn Oates of the organization Canadian Women for Women in Afghanistan said the fact that the Taliban claimed responsibility for the murder indicates Achakzai was likely killed because of her beliefs about women's rights.

"(In the statement) they used the words that she was involved in 'bad things' without elaborating on what exactly that meant," Oates said Monday on CTV's Canada AM. "I think we can assume it just meant that she was a woman who worked outside her home and she was involved in politics with the government that they are opposing. So she was a worthy target for that reason."

According to Oates, Achakzai had recently been receiving death threats and had plans to leave the country for an extended period of time on May 1. Conflicting reports suggested she was going to either Germany or Canada.