Afghan Actor-Director Saba Sahar Shot In Kabul, Taliban Denies Brazen Attack

Saba Sahar, one of Afghanistan’s well-known film personalities and the country's first female filmmaker, was left injured Wednesday after several gunmen opened fire on her car in the capital city of Kabul.

According to Sahar’s husband, Emal Zaki, the attack took place just five minutes after Sahar left their house to go to work, CBS News reported. As soon as he heard gunshots, Zaki called his wife and got to know about the attack that left Sahar injured.

Sahar’s husband also revealed that his wife was shot in the stomach and that he found her wounded when he arrived at the scene.

“Five minutes after she left home, I heard gunfire outside my house . When I called my wife, she said that she was injured. I rushed to the scene and found her wounded,” CBS News quoted Zaki, as saying.

The media outlet also reported that four bullets hit Sahar in the abdomen and as soon as her husband reached there, he drove her to a private hospital. However, Zaki told the publication that his wife was later transferred to a “police hospital.” The actress had a successful operation and is "out of danger" now.

Meanwhile, the Taliban has already denied any kind of involvement in the brazen attack. One of the spokespersons of the insurgent group, Zabihullah Mujahid, told CBS News that they had nothing to do with the incident.

In a separate interview, Zaki told the BBC that there were five people inside the car when the attack happened. Apart from Sahar, two bodyguards, a child, and the driver were also present there. The bodyguards were also hit and injured while the child and driver were not harmed, according to Zaki.

The attack prompted Amnesty International, an organization that focuses on human rights, to come out with a statement about the dangerous situation that is prevailing in Afghanistan.

“The rise in attacks and assassination attempts on human rights defenders, political activists, journalists, and film actors is extremely worrying. These attacks must be investigated, and the perpetrators held accountable. The authorities must protect everyone at risk,” Amnesty International stated.

Sahar is known to be one of the prominent celebrities of the Afghan nation. Apart from being an actor and director, she is also a well-known activist in that region. The artist has been widely praised for her various movies and TV shows like “Commissioner Amanullah,” “The Law,” “Passing The Rainbow,” and “Kabul Dream Factory.”

Interestingly, all her TV shows and movies explored subjects like corruption and justice.

Apart from being an artist, Sahar is also a part of Kabul's police force and has 10 years of working experience with the police.