Five female Afgan security staff killed at Kandahar airport

Five female security staff at Kandahar airport have been killed by unknown gunmen, local officials say.

They were travelling to work at the airport on Saturday morning when two attackers riding a motorcycle opened fire on their minivan, said Samim Akhalwak, a spokesperson for the Kandahar governor.

The five women were killed, as well as their driver.

The women were in charge of searching female travellers at the airport.

Ahmadullah Faizi, the airport`s director, said the women had been concerned about their security after receiving death threats from people who disapproved of their career.

No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, but women in Afghanistan are often targeted by the Taliban.

Mr Faizi said an investigation was under way but no arrests had been made.

According to the Afghan attorney general`s office, there were more than 3,700 cases of violence against women in the first eight months of 2016, and 5,000 cases in 2015.

Source : BBC