Political leaders condemn attempted assassination of Fawzia Koofi

Koofi, who is one of the Afghan national negotiating team members, came under fire by unknown gunmen on Friday afternoon while traveling on the Kabul-Parwan highway. 
According to Tariq Arian, spokesman for the Interior Ministry, gunmen opened fire on Koofi and her sister when they were returning from a meeting in Parwan. 
He said the attack took place when the two women got out of their car to purchase something on the side of the road. 
Arian said Koofi had been shot in her right hand but that she was in a stable condition.
Meanwhile, hundreds of Afghans took to social media on Saturday after the news broke and also condemned the attack. 
Koofi herself posted on her Facebook page Friday night and said she “survived an assassination attempt today afternoon outside Kabul city and got injured in the right arm. Thankfully not a life threatening injury!” 
President Ashraf Ghani stated in response to the incident that “cowardly attacks on Afghan women would not hinder their purposeful efforts to preserve Afghanistan’s 19-year-old values.”
He wished Koofi, “a leader of the wave of political transformation” a speedy recovery.
Chairman of the High Council for National Reconciliation Abdullah Abdullah also condemned the attack and called for an immediate investigation into the incident. 
“I strongly condemn the assassination attempt on Ms Fawzia Koofi and call upon the government to identify and apprehend the culprits and possible motive for the attack.” 
Former Afghan president Hamid Karzai also denounced the attempted assassination against Koofi and called it a “terrorist act.”
Karzai said the attack was a clear and unequivocal act against the peace process and expressed his concern about the efforts and plots of the enemies of peace.
He also called on the people of Afghanistan to take a stand against any such plans so as to ensure negotiations would not be derailed. 
Stefano Pontecorvo the NATO Senior Civilian Representative to Afghanistan also voiced his dismay and said the “attack on Fawzia Koofi is yet another despicable attempt at silencing voices of those who advocate for peace and equal opportunities.”
He said: “The perpetrators must be brought to justice,” and that NATO would continue to support the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces in the fight against terrorism.
No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack.
The incident comes just days before Koofi and the rest of the Afghan national negotiating team are expected to leave for Doha to start peace talks with the Taliban.