KABUL - Smokey-eyed Zulala Hashemi, standing tall in four-inch gold heels, wants to sing for women. The 18-year-old has become the first girl to reach the final of popular television music talent show Afghan Star.

Hashemi, a native of eastern Jalalabad - a stronghold of Taliban and Islamic State insurgents - will face off against the first rapper of the competition in Monday's final.

Their clash will be one of the most trailblazing in the popular show's 12-year history.