Lailuma Built Opportunities for Afghan Women – Then She Was Killed

A street in Faizabad, the capital of Afghanistan’s northeastern Badakhshan province. Lailuma’s home province of Badakhshan has been plagued by clashes between various armed groups. Credit: Learning Together.by External Source (fayzabad, afghanistan)Friday, August 21, 2026Inter Press Service FAYZABAD, Afghanistan, August 21 (IPS) - Afghanistan has seen a number of unexplained murders in recent months.One of the latest victims is Lailuma, the wife of well-known local singer Salam Maftoon and a community activist. The murder took place in Ishkashim district, in the northeastern province of Badakhshan, Afghanistan, in early May. Lailuma was arriving at her restaurant when unidentified assailants shot her in a market area near the provincial government buildings.Locals say there were several witnesses to the incident and that the attackers fled the scene immediately after the shooting. People rushed to help Lailuma, who was seriously injured, but she died before reaching the hospital. She was 35 years old.The attackers have not yet been identified, and the motive for the murder is not officially known.Lailuma is not the only victim. In May, the online media outlet Rawa News reported on ...