Kabul named Colonel Jamila Bayaz the first female Police Chief in the country on Tuesday, while the Ministry of Interior (MoI) said that in the future it plans to nominate a female Provincial Police Chief.
The announcement comes at a time that many have expressed apprehensions about the future of women's rights and progress in Afghanistan, as the April elections near and the NATO coalition prepares to withdraw by December.
"We have designated her in one of the most important police stations of the city, which is Kabul's first police station," Kabul Police Chief General Zahir Zahir said. "We don't seek to place a female officer in a weak station, its not like that, we started this process at this station because women are capable of working like men."
Previously, Colonel Jamila was serving as a police officer at the Ministry of Interior's offices in Kabul.
"I think my assignment to this post will persuade others to join the police force," Colonel Jamila said of the prospects of future female police officers.
For the most part, the MoI has been optimistic about the trajectory of women's role in security forces around the country to start of 2014. Earlier this month, MoI officials said they expected to take on some 10,000 female police recruits this year.
"I hope that we see a female Provincial Police Chief in the future, we are working on that and soon you will see it," MoI spokesman Sediq Sediq said on Tuesday.
Colonel Jamila's new position were present new demands for her, especially considering the station she was assigned to lies in one of the most congested areas of the capital.