UN urges Afghan authorities to find perpetrators of 'brutal' killing of 3 women

The United Nations mission in Afghanistan today called on the country's authorities "to spare no effort" in the hunt for the murderers of three women who were killed in the province of Baghlan.

A UN spokesperson said the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) was following very closely the ongoing investigation into the brutal murder. The women's bodies were found earlier in the week dumped along a roadside near the provincial capital.

"In a context where violence against women remains too often un-prosecuted and unpunished, it is particularly important that the authorities spare no effort to bring swiftly the perpetrators to justice," Ariane Quentier said in the capital Kabul.

UNAMA is concerned that the seriousness of the crime is compounded by the fact that a note was left at the scene, implying that the killing of the three women was linked to their work with a non-governmental organization (NGO), she said.

"There is no confirmation that this was the motive for the killing, but the UN mission strongly condemns any threat to women working for NGOs," she said.