Afghan female athlete to leave country after her dog shot dead by gunmen

Monitoring Desk

KABUL: Unknown gunmen shot ‘Asoman’ to death on Friday evening while she was hiking with Sahba Barakzai and her family in Dasht-e-Hawz mountains, an area 20 KM north of Herat city.

‘Asoman’ was the name of a 7-month old female Husky dog owned by Sahba Barakzai a female athlete and owner of a Karate club for girls in Herat city.

“My father has got a hiking team and we used to sometimes join them together with Asoman”, Sahba Barakzai told Khaama Press.

On Friday me, my father, sisters and ‘Asoman’ went out to Dasht-e-Hawz mountains for hiking wherein a gunman looking like a ‘Shepherd’ shot at my dog. I shouted and ran towards Asoman and requested the man not to fire. The gunman did not care and shot 4 bullets in Asoman’s chest. Several other gunmen joint him soon after they heard the firing. Sahba explained.

Cryingly I took the dead body in my arms and started running towards our car. The gunmen fired from behind and shouted on us to stop and leave the dead body of the dog here, Sahba added.

I begged them to allow me take the body of Asoman and burry her myself, but they did not listen and said I was a girl and have no right to keep dogs, she said.

“I even could not report it to the police as I knew nothing will happen. Dozens of human beings are killed every day in the country and no one feels responsibility”, she added.

In a telephone conversation with Khaama Press journalist, Sahba mourned for her dog’s death and said she did not think of losing her loved pet this soon.

“I was googling the internet to understand the life of dogs, I was always thinking that 14 years for a dog life is so short and I did not know that I will lose mine only when she is 7 months old”, she said mourning.

Sahba has decided to leave the country as she believes the security is not improving and one day her family members might have the same fate ass Asoman.

Sahba has dismissed her students at Karate club and has put the equipment on sale intending to leave the country as soon as she sells the accessories and house equipment. (Khaama Press)