Afghan Female Cop Shot, Blinded On Her Way Back Home From Work In Suspected Taliban Attack

An Afghan woman was shot and left with her eyes gouged out while on her way back home from work. Local authorities believe that the attack was carried out by Taliban militants.

The 33-year-old victim, identified only as Khatera, was working as a crime branch officer in the country’s central Ghazni province. She was attacked by three bike-borne assailants who opened fire on her before stabbing her in the eyes with a knife. She later received treatment for her injuries at a hospital.

Khatera said her father, who was always opposed to her working outside the home, may have enlisted the Taliban to attack her. However, the insurgent group denied any involvement in the attack, Reuters reported. The victim suffered a complete loss of vision as a result of the incident.

The attack came just a few months after Khatera joined Ghazni police. She said it wouldn’t hurt her as much if she served the department for at least a year. "I wish I had served in police at least a year [sic]. If this had happened to me after that, it would have been less painful. It happened too soon ... I only got to work and live my dream for three months," Khatera told Reuters.

Khatera dreamt of having an independent career as a young girl. After years of failed attempts to convince her father, she finally got support from her husband. However, her father maintained his hard-line stance.

"Many times, as I went to duty, I saw my father following me ... he started contacting the Taliban in the nearby area and asked them to prevent me from going to my job," she told the publication.

The Taliban remained in power in Afghanistan between the years 1996 and 2001. During that period, the country saw strict enforcement of Sharia or Islamic law, which barred women from going to school and having a job. Ever since the group was overthrown from power in 2001, women gradually started to return to public life. Challenges remained, however.

In recent months, several women working in public roles around the country have been subjected to attacks, including actress and film director Saba Sahar. But the insurgent group keeps denying involvement in many instances.

Khatera believes the fact that she works for the police may have angered the Taliban. She told Reuters that her father provided a copy of her ID card to the Taliban to prove she worked as a cop. She also mentioned that her father kept calling her throughout the day of the attack, asking for her location. Her father has since been taken into custody.