London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Saturday, Jul 19, 2025

‘Sometimes I have to pick up a gun’: the female Afghan governor resisting the Taliban

‘Sometimes I have to pick up a gun’: the female Afghan governor resisting the Taliban

Salima Mazari, one of only three female district governors in Afghanistan, tells of her motivation to fight the militants

It is early morning in Charkint, in the northern Balkh province of Afghanistan, but a meeting with the governor is already well under way to urgently assess the safety of the 30,000 people she represents. Salima Mazari has been in the job for just over three years, and for her, fighting the Taliban is nothing new, but since July she has been meeting with the commanders of her security forces every day as the Islamist militants’ attacks across the country increase.

As one of only three female district governors in Afghanistan, Mazari has attracted attention simply by being a woman in charge. What sets the 40-year-old apart, particularly amid the recent wave of Taliban violence, is her hands-on military leadership. “Sometimes I’m in the office in Charkint, and other times I have to pick up a gun and join the battle,” she says.

Her job means not only managing the day-to-day bureaucracy, but also organising military operations. “If we don’t fight now against the extremist ideologies and the groups that force them on us, we will lose our chance to defeat them. They will succeed. They will brainwash society into accepting their agenda,” she warns.

Mazari was born in Iran in 1980, after her family fled the Soviet war in Afghanistan. After graduating from university in Tehran, she held different roles at universities and the International Organization for Migration, before deciding to head to the country her parents left decades ago. “The most painful thing about being a refugee is the lack of sense of your country,” she says. “No place is your country.”

In 2018, she learned there was an opening for the position of district governor of Charkint, “my ancestral homeland”, as Mazari describes it. Encouraged by colleagues and family members, she applied for the post.

With her experience and qualifications, she was among the leading candidates. Her determination to work for the people of her district ensured that she was soon appointed. “Initially, I was worried that as a female governor I might be discriminated against, but the people surprised me,” she says. “The day I was officially received in Charkint as the district governor, I was overwhelmed by the support.”

Few women step out of their house here without a full hijab or a burqa, or a male guardian. To assume the role of district governor was no simple feat, and she soon found herself leading battles she had not expected.

Salima Mazari with her security detail near the frontline. Repeated requests to Kabul for military supplies have gone unanswered, she says.


“We lack basic facilities such as access to healthcare. To manage security, we should have at least seven police ranger cars, two Humvees equipped with light and heavy weaponry. However, we have far fewer resources, even though we’ve requested them from the central government many times. My pleas have gone unheard,” she says.

Based on data provided by the Afghan district governance office, Charkint once had a population of more than 200,000 people, but war and the resulting poverty have displaced huge numbers of people. Mazari feels it is considered a second-grade district, and her task is made harder as she fights corruption within the Afghan bureaucracy.

Two years ago, Mazari established a security commission that recruits Afghans into local militias to defend the district. “I invite people from all parts of the district to my office and seek their opinion on improving the situation of Charkint. This has made residents of Charkint more invested and involved, and restores their faith in the government authority,” she says.

Her leadership style has served her well so far as renewed Taliban violence sweeps the country. “We’ve faced Taliban attacks longer than the recent surge in violence and we’ve managed to keep them out of Charkint,” she says, with evident pride. Mazari has stationed her troops on the outskirts of Charkint in the hope that militants will be unable to breach their defences.

Charkint is the only district in Afghanistan under the security management of a woman that no terrorist group has managed to occupy before. But Mazari is aware that the situation is worsening rapidly and is worried for her people. In the last week, the Taliban have taken a series of northern provinces and capitals, and fighting has raged across Balkh province.

Last year, Mazari successfully negotiated the surrender of more than 100 Taliban fighters in her region. But such negotiations are not always a success, she says.

Salima Mazari watches the fighting in Charkint. The Taliban have made sweeping gains across the northern provinces in recent weeks.


“On multiple occasions, we sent a committee on behalf of our people to negotiate with the Taliban. We’ve had over 10 meetings to ask them to protect the lives, harvest and properties of the people. Our people are farmers and they depend on their harvest for sustenance in the winter months. But they rejected the request of people for an agreement every time,” she says.

Mazari’s growing reputation as a strong woman standing against Taliban brutality has put her life at risk. She has survived several ambushes by the Taliban, as well as mines planted by the militants to target her. “But I am not afraid,” she says. “I believe in the rule of law in Afghanistan.”

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Brazil's Supreme Court Imposes Radical Restrictions on Former President Bolsonaro
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Judge Criticizes DOJ Over Secrecy in Dropping Charges Against Gang Leader
Apple Closes $16.5 Billion Tax Dispute With Ireland
Von der Leyen Faces Setback Over €2 Trillion EU Budget Proposal
UK and Germany Collaborate on Global Military Equipment Sales
Trump Plans Over 10% Tariffs on African and Caribbean Nations
Flying Taxi CEO Reclaims Billionaire Status After Stock Surge
Epstein Files Deepen Republican Party Divide
Zuckerberg Faces $8 Billion Privacy Lawsuit From Meta Shareholders
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
SpaceX Nears $400 Billion Valuation With New Share Sale
Microsoft, US Lab to Use AI for Faster Nuclear Plant Licensing
Trump Walks Back Talk of Firing Fed Chair Jerome Powell
Zelensky Reshuffles Cabinet to Win Support at Home and in Washington
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Irish Tech Worker Detained 100 days by US Authorities for Overstaying Visa
Dimon Warns on Fed Independence as Trump Administration Eyes Powell’s Succession
Church of England Removes 1991 Sexuality Guidelines from Clergy Selection
Superman Franchise Achieves Success with Latest Release
Hungary's Viktor Orban Rejects Agreements on Illegal Migration
Jeff Bezos Considers Purchasing Condé Nast as a Wedding Gift
Ghislaine Maxwell Says She’s Ready to Testify Before Congress on Epstein’s Criminal Empire
Bal des Pompiers: A Celebration of Community and Firefighter Culture in France
FBI Chief Kash Patel Denies Resignation Speculations Amid Epstein List Controversy
Air India Pilot’s Mental Health Records Under Scrutiny
Google Secures Windsurf AI Coding Team in $2.4 Billion Licence Deal
Jamie Dimon Warns Europe Is Losing Global Competitiveness and Flags Market Complacency
South African Police Minister Suspended Amid Organised Crime Allegations
Nvidia CEO Claims Chinese Military Reluctance to Use US AI Technology
Hong Kong Advances Digital Asset Strategy to Address Economic Challenges
Australia Rules Out Pre‑commitment of Troops, Reinforces Defence Posture Amid US‑China Tensions
Martha Wells Says Humanity Still Far from True Artificial Intelligence
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
U.S. Resumes Deportations to Third Countries After Supreme Court Ruling
Excavation Begins at Site of Mass Grave for Children at Former Irish Institution
Iranian President Reportedly Injured During Israeli Strike on Secret Facility
EU Delays Retaliatory Tariffs Amid New U.S. Threats on Imports
Trump Defends Attorney General Pam Bondi Amid Epstein Memo Backlash
Renault Shares Drop as CEO Luca de Meo Announces Departure Amid Reports of Move to Kering
Senior Aides for King Charles and Prince Harry Hold Secret Peace Summit
Anti‑Semitism ‘Normalised’ in Middle‑Class Britain, Says Commission Co‑Chair
King Charles Meets David Beckham at Chelsea Flower Show
If the Department is Really About Justice: Ghislaine Maxwell Should Be Freed Now
NYC Candidate Zohran Mamdani’s ‘Antifada’ Remarks Spark National Debate on Political Language and Economic Policy
President Trump Visits Flood-Ravaged Texas, Praises Community Strength and First Responders
From Mystery to Meltdown, Crisis Within the Trump Administration: Epstein Files Ignite A Deepening Rift at the Highest Levels of Government Reveals Chaos, Leaks, and Growing MAGA Backlash
Trump Slams Putin Over War Death Toll, Teases Major Russia Announcement
Reparations argument crushed
Rainmaker CEO Says Cloud Seeding Paused Before Deadly Texas Floods
×