Canadian relatives of a women's rights advocate slain in southern Afghanistan over the weekend say they warned her of the dangers of working in the country.

Sitara Achakzai, a member of Kandahar's provincial council, was killed Sunday when four gunmen on motorcycles opened fire as she got out of her car outside her home in Kandahar City.

Qari Yousef Ahmedi, a Taliban spokesman, claimed responsibility for the attack.

Achakzai, a dual German-Afghan citizen, spent the years of Taliban rule in Germany and returned to her native country five years ago to fight for women's rights, her relatives said.

Her mother, two sisters and extended family live in Markham, northeast of Toronto.

Achakzai's niece, Maryam Maiwand, told CBC News that her aunt last visited Canada three months ago and was due to return in May.

"She was a beautiful person," Maiwand said. "She was always willing to help anybody she crossed paths with."

Friends afraid to speak

Achakzai's female friends and colleagues in Afghanistan were too afraid to speak publicly about her slaying, the CBC's Alan Waterman reported from Kandahar.

One friend of Achakzai's who did not want her name revealed for security reasons said Achakzai was seriously considering not returning to Afghanistan after her planned trip. She added she, too, was planning to leave the county in the wake of her friend's murder.

Maiwand said her family was always warning her about the risks she was taking, but Achakzai was "very hard-headed" and believed she could make a difference in her home country.

"We told her it's dangerous, especially for a woman, back in Afghanistan," she said.

"She didn't listen. She said, 'At least I'm going to try.' "

'Big blow for Afghan society'

Ahmed Wali Karzai, chair of the provincial council and brother of Afghan President Hamid Karzai, said Achakzai's slaying would definitely have an effect on the number of women participating in the country's elections in August.

"No one will take a risk to send their daughters and their mothers and their wives to become a member of parliament," Karzai said.

"Forget about government jobs. It is a big blow for Afghan society, especially Kandahar."

Karzai also pleaded with those looking to leave Afghanistan after the latest attack, especially women, to stay and continue working to improve the country, the CBC's Waterman reported.

But Karzai also advised them to take security precautions, noting that Achakzai did not have bodyguards at the time of her slaying.