Mursal Nabizada: Former Afghan female lawmaker shot dead by unknown attackers

A former Afghan female lawmaker and her bodyguard have been shot dead by unknown assailants at her home in the country's capital, Kabul, police have said.

Mursal Nabizada was among the few female parliamentarians who stayed in Kabul after the Taliban seized power in August 2021.

Her death marks the first time a lawmaker from the previous administration has been killed in the city since the takeover.

Local police chief Molvi Hamidullah Khalid said Ms Nabizada and her guard were shot dead at around 3am on Saturday, in the same room.

He added that her brother and a second security guard were injured, while a third guard fled the scene with money and jewelry.

Ms Nabizada died on the first floor of her home, which she used as her office.

According to Mr Khalid, investigations are underway, though he did not answer questions about possible motives.

Abdullah Abdullah, who was a top official in Afghanistan's former Western-backed government, said he was saddened by Ms Nabizada's death and hoped the perpetrators would be punished.

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He described her as a "representative and servant of the people".

A former Kandahar parliamentarian, Malalai Ishaqzai, also offered her condolences.

Ms Nabizada was elected in 2019 to represent Kabul and stayed in office until the Taliban takeover.

She was a member of the parliamentary defence commission and worked at a private non-governmental group, the Institute for Human Resources Development and Research.