Afghan member of Parliament, Fariba Ahmadi Kakar, and her three children were kidnapped on Saturday while they were traveling in Ghanzi by members of the Taliban. Kakar’s two daughters and son have been released after an operation lead by NATO forces and Afghan intelligence. Kakar remains in custody.
The kidnappers have demanded the release of four Taliban prisoners in exchange for Kakar’s freedom. According to a spokesperson for the Parliament, it is the first time a member of Parliament has been kidnapped in 10 years.
This abduction is the most recent in a long string of attacks on high profile women leaders in the region. Last week, a female senator and her family were attacked by Taliban gunmen, who killed the senator’s eight year old daughter and left the senator wounded. In March, a female teacher in Pakistan was murdered on her way to teach at a girls school. And in December 2012, the head of Women’s Affairs in Laghman province was killed just months after assuming the role after her predecessor was murdered in July of the same year.
