Assailants Shoot Dead 30-Year-Old Female Afghan Politician in Her Home

Mursal Nabizada, a former Afghan female parliamentarian who stayed back in Kabul after the Taliban takeover in 2021, was shot dead by unknown assailants in her home along with a security guard, according to police. 

At just 30 years old, her death marks the first time a politician from the previous US-backed government has been killed under the Taliban regime. There was no mention of Nabizada’s killing or condolence message on the official Taliban government website. 

Nabizada’s brother and another security guard were injured in the attack early Sunday morning. The police are investigating the motive and claim a third guard ran away with money and jewellery from her home. Her family has spoken to local media and said she had no personal enemies. 

“There was no personal hostility. I don't know if it could have been a political issue, but there was no personal enmity,” her sister told Afghan outlet ToloNews.

A fierce peace advocate and critic of the Taliban, she was only 27-years-old when she was elected in 2019 as a member of parliament to represent Kabul, and was a member of the parliamentary defence commission. She was one of a handful of female legislators who chose to stay back in Kabul after the Taliban takeover. 

Nabizada’s Twitter feed went silent right after her government was deposed by the Taliban in August 2021. Her last tweet is a group photo posted on Aug. 19, 2021 with former Afghan cabinet members, including president Hamid Karzai and Abdullah Abdullah. The photo’s caption reads, “I am trying with my people to establish peace and stability in this country and to fulfil the desire of the oppressed nation for peace.” 

Before the Taliban takeover, Nabizada’s socials were a stream of images and posts showing a dedicated legislator speaking at male-dominated security meetings, planting trees in Kabul, and listening to her constituents in intimate yet traditional town hall-like settings, cross-legged on the floor. One photo caption reads, “I call it my duty to see my people continuously and listen to their problems.”   

After the Taliban takeover, her Facebook feed continued with mostly condolence and condemnation posts against attacks on minorities and women. 

Her friend and former lawmaker Mariam Solaimankhil said on Facebook, “As we grieve her loss, let us also raise our voices for the women of Afghanistan, who are facing unimaginable atrocities at the hands of the Taliban. We have lost a true sister, but her memory and mission must live on.” 

Nabizada’s cousin Ahmed Wali also wrote on Facebook, “A truly empowered woman who tried to tell millions of Afghan girls that it’s gonna be OK. Make sure your daughter knows her name, I will be telling mine to aspire to be like her.”

Condemnations poured in from across the world. Member of the European Parliament Hannah Neumann tweeted, “She was killed in darkness, but the Taliban build their system of gender apartheid in full daylight.” 

Member of the Canadian Parliament, Heather McPherson, said on Facebook, “For months, I have worked with Canadian MPs from all parties to bring Afghan women MPs still trapped in Afghanistan to safety to Canada. I can’t help but wonder if MP Nabizada would be alive today if the government had acted faster.”