Afghan Lieutenant Negar, the most senior female police officer in Afghanistan, died early Monday morning, one day after being shot by unidentified gunmen.
Negar, who only goes by one name like many Afghans, was shot in the neck outside her home in the province of Helmand on Sunday. She is the third top policewoman to be murdered in recent months. Her predecessor, Islam Bibi, was killed in July. Female police officers are under threat from both the Taliban and drug traders.
“They have given us warning that one of us will be killed every three months and we will be killed one by one,” Afghan policewoman Malala said to The Associated Press.
According to BBC News, women make up just under 1 percent of Afghanistan’s police force, with about 1,600 females serving and about 200 more in training.