The New Nation - Internet Edition

Reuters, Kandahar

Unidentified gunmen shot dead the most senior woman police officer in southern Afghanistan on Sunday, witnesses said.

Lieutenant-Colonel Malalai was killed in her car in an area of Kandahar city where she resumed her job as an officer after U.S.-led forces in 2001 overthrew the Taliban government which had barred women from most outdoor work.

She had led many police house searches in Kandahar leading to seizure of arms and drugs in recent years. Her son was wounded in the attack, witnesses said.

Officials have yet to comment about the killing of the 45-year-old Malalai who had survived several assassination attempts.

Kandahar is part of the main bastion for Taliban Islamists, but drug smugglers, criminals and some tribal rivalries have also contributed to some violence there.