Bomb Kills Afghan Women’s Affairs Official

Posted July 13th, 2012 at 1:20 pm (UTC-5)
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Afghan officials say a bomb has killed a local official with the Afghan Ministry of Women's Affairs.

Provincial authorities say the director of women's affairs in eastern Laghman province, Hanifa Safi, was killed Friday when a bomb hidden under her car exploded in the provincial capital, Mehterlam. Her husband and daughter were also wounded in the blast, along with at least six other civilians.

The United Nations strongly condemned Friday's attack, calling it an “outrage” The U.N. said Hanifa “worked tirelessly” to promote and protect women's rights in Afghanistan and that the perpetrators of what it called “this egregious crime” should be brought to justice.

No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, which comes just days after the release of a video showing the apparent public execution of a woman by the Taliban.

Also Friday, NATO says a roadside bomb killed one of its service members in southern Afghanistan. The coalition did not give details, including the soldier's nationality.