Just days after Barack Obama stressed the importance of maintaining order in Afghanistan, the most senior female police officer in southern Afghanistan was shot and killed. 45-year-old Lieutenant-Colonel Malalai Kakar was killed in her car by unknown gunmen in Kandahar, a hotbed for extremists, and this was not the first attempt on her life, merely the first successful one. According to Reuters, "Malalai's killing comes amid escalation of violence in Afghanistan this year, the bloodiest period since U.S.-led troops overthrew Taliban's government." Malalai's son was also injured in the attack. [Reuters]