by Ahmad Quraishi
In this photo local people watch two Afghan women shot and killed by Taliban in Ghazni province, Afghanistan, on Sunday, July 13, 2008. (Photo: AP/Rahmatullah Naikzad)
Taliban fighters on Tuesday claimed responsibility for an attack on a female police official in the western province of Herat.
Gunmen on motorcycles shot and wounded 2nd Lt. Maryam, head of a police recruitment centre, after she left her home in Paen Aab and went out of the city. The female official was out of immediate danger following an operation, but was still in critical condition, head of the hospital, Dr. Syed Naeem Alami, said.
However, Taliban spokesman, Qari Yousuf Ahmadi, said an insurgent fighter had killed Maryam.