Mina Mangal was born the eldest of six siblings, five sisters, one brother, in Afghanistan. Before her journalistic career, she trained as a midwife and studied law, becoming interested in poetry and writing. She studied journalism at the Mashal University in Kabul. She worked a number of jobs to financially support her siblings' educations. She gained popularity hosting the television channels Tolo TV, Shamshad TV, Lemar TV, and the Ariana Television Network. She became known as a feminist and an advocate for women's rights in Afghanistan.

After 10 years of her marriage, she left her abusive husband. They formally divorced following a lengthy appeal to the Human Rights Commission on the basis that Manga's life was in danger in his company. However, the former husband and his family continued to harass her, he forcibly abducted her and drugged her. Mina Mangal was tortured and beaten. Her family said they eventually secured her release “with the help of some government officials and tribal elders”.

The prominent female television journalist was shot dead by two men on a motorcycle while she was waiting for a car to take her to her job as a cultural adviser for Afghanistan’s lower chamber of parliament. Before her death, Mina Mangal had posted on her social media pages that she was receiving death threats from unknown sources. The assailants escaped from the scene after killing her.

Mina Mangal’s family suspected that Mangal's ex-husband was involved, and filed a complaint against him but the killers of Mangal is still unknown.

What happened after she was killed?

After Mina Mangal was killed, the police and authorities were criticized because Mina had announced that she received threats on her social media accounts but the police and authorities did not offer her protection. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called the killing an “unacceptable tragedy”, and the US Embassy in Kabul also offered their condolences.

According to the Coalition For Women In Journalism, Mina Mangal was only one of five female journalists, who were killed in the country in 2019. After the death of Mina Mangal, Afghan female journalists called for greater protection for women journalists. But women journalists are still killed in the country.

In the last 20 years, women police, politicians, teachers, students, and journalists working in the public sphere have faced many attacks in Afghanistan. Some of these attacks were carried out by those who wanted to prevent women from participating in public life, and some by men closest to women. Most perpetrators go unpunished.