Salima Mazari
Salima Mazari | |
|---|---|
 | |
| District Governor of Charkint District in Balkh province | |
| In office 2018 – 20 August 2021 | |
| Constituency | Charkint District |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1980 (age 43–44) Iran |
Salima Mazari (Persian: سلیمه مزاری; born 1980) is an Afghan politician, who served as the District Governor of Charkint District in Balkh province in Afghanistan and one of the three women district governors in Afghanistan.[1]
Biography
Mazari was born in Iran in 1980,[2][3] a refugee as her family had escaped the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.[4] She grew up in Iran, earning a degree from the University of Tehran and working for the International Organization for Migration, before returning to Afghanistan.[5] In 2018, she was named District Governor of Charkint District in Balkh province. As governor, she formed a security commission to recruit local militias into the fight against the Taliban.[6] In 2020, she negotiated the surrender of over 100 Taliban soldiers in her province.[7]
Amid the 2021 Taliban offensive, she refused to flee as several other governors in the country did, with her district putting up significant resistance to the Taliban. Until the complete collapse of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan following the Fall of Kabul, hers was one of the few districts in the country to remain unoccupied by the Taliban.[8] Since August 18, the news reports were concerned that whether she had been captured by the Taliban.[9][10][11] As per subsequent Time.com news report, Mazari was at provincial Governor's office when news of the surrender of Balkh and fall of Mazar-i-Sharif reached her, after realizing her district Charkint, too is blocked she decided to close fight to avoid blood bath and escaped to undisclosed U.S. location with the help of 2021 U.S. evacuation from Afghanistan[11]
She was recognized as one of the BBC's 100 Women of 2021.[12]
See also
References
- ^ "' This is the first time I am holding a gun': Afghans take up arms to fight the Taliban". The World from PRX.
- ^ "'Sometimes I have to pick up a gun': the female Afghan governor resisting the Taliban". The Guardian. 11 August 2021.
- ^ "The Taliban captured a female Afghan governor who recruited militants to fight the Taliban, report says". Insider. 19 August 2021.
- ^ "Salima fights on frontline against Taliban and corruption". June 14, 2020.
- ^ Zainab Pirzad (11 August 2021). "'Sometimes I have to pick up a gun': the female Afghan governor resisting the Taliban". The Guardian. Retrieved 18 August 2021.
- ^ O’Donnell, Lynne. "With the Militias in Afghanistan".
- ^ "The woman convincing the Afghan Taliban to give up arms". The National.
- ^ Geeta Mohan (18 August 2021). "Salima Mazari, who took up arms to fight Taliban in Balkh Province, captured in Afghanistan". India Today. Retrieved 18 August 2021.
- ^ "Afghanistan Crisis: Salima Mazari, who raised her voice against Taliban, taken hostage". Zee News. 18 August 2021. Retrieved 18 August 2021.
- ^ "Who is Salima Mazari? 7 Things About The Afghani Woman Governor Who Has Been Captured". Shethepeople. 18 August 2021. Retrieved 18 August 2021.
- ^ a b Hassani, Zakarya; Huang, Robyn (September 14, 2021). "How Female Afghan Governor Salima Mazari Escaped the Taliban". Time. Retrieved 2021-09-15.
- ^ "BBC 100 Women 2021: Who is on the list this year?". BBC News. 2021-12-07. Retrieved 2022-12-16.