Sitara Achakzai Is Dead.

Gunned down

Another murder in the series of murders committed by the Taliban in their war against women. Terry Glavin, co-founder of the Canada-Afghanistan Solidarity Committee reports:

Sitara Achakzai Is Dead.

Gunned down in Kandahar. The Taliban has claimed responsibility.

Achakzai, a prominent women's rights activist and Kandahar Provincial Council member, was one of the leaders of a nation-wide women's strike that coincided with International Women's Day last month.

Lauryn Oates of Canadian Women for Women in Afghanistan, and my co-founder with the Canada-Afghanistan Solidarity Committee: "(In the Taliban statement) they used the words that she was involved in 'bad things' without elaborating on what exactly that meant. I think we can assume it just meant that she was a woman who worked outside her home and she was involved in politics with the government that they are opposing. So she was a worthy target for that reason."

Achakzai had received several death threats. She was planning to leave for a visit with family and friends in Canada on May 1.

Read it all, here.

In the meantime, we hear that "Pakistan's parliament on Monday passed a resolution on enforcing Shariah, or Islamic law, in the restive northwestern Swat valley.

The resolution will be followed by the signing of Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari.

The Taliban militants have been fighting for the enforcement of Shariah law in Swat since 2007 by burning down girls' school, outlawing entertainment and clashing with security forces".

Pay close attention to Terry's concluding statement:

A blistering rebuke to the Obama Doctrine: There is no such thing as "moderate" Taliban.

Update: (Via Mick)

The Taleban in Afghanistan have publicly killed a young couple who they said had tried to have an illicit affair, officials say.

The man, 21, and woman, 19, were shot dead on Monday in front of a mosque in the south-western province of Nimroz....

Officials said the couple were traced by militants after they tried to go to Iran. They were made to return to their village in Khash Rod district.

"Three Taleban mullahs brought them to the local mosque and they passed a fatwa (religious decree) that they must be killed. They were shot and killed in front of the mosque in public," the governor said.

He said there were some reports that the families of the young couple could have links with the Taleban.