2 arrested in slaying of Afghan women's rights activist
Last Updated: Thursday, April 16, 2009 | 6:39 AM ET
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Two men have been arrested in connection with the slaying of a women's rights activist in Afghanistan last week, Afghan officials said Thursday.
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.
The Taliban claimed responsibility for the death.
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. Her family in Canada said Achakzai was planning to visit them in May and was considering not returning to Afghanistan.
The Afghan Interior Ministry did not identify the suspects and gave no further details about the arrests.
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