Two Afghan journalists killed in attack on radio station

The pair, both men in their 20s, were gunned down inside the studios of Radio Hamsada, a private broadcaster based in Taloqan, the capital of Takhar province. </s> Two Afghan journalists killed in attack on radio station: officials

Kabul: Two journalists were shot and killed when unidentified gunmen stormed their radio station in northeast Afghanistan, officials said Wednesday, underscoring the dangers faced by reporters in the war-torn country.



The pair, both men in their 20s, were gunned down inside the studios of Radio Hamsada, a private broadcaster based in Taloqan, the capital of Takhar province, provincial spokesman Jawad Hejri told AFP. No one has yet claimed responsibility for the attack. </s> KABUL (Reuters) - Two Afghan journalists were killed on Tuesday night when gunmen entered a radio station and opened fire, authorities said.

The presenter and reporter, both males in their 20s, died at the scene, said Semin Hussaini, director of Radio Hamsada.

It was not known if they were on air at the time and both police and Hussaini said they no idea of the motive for the attack in Taloqan, capital of the northern province of Takhar.

Theirs was the second killing of journalists in Afghanistan this year. Last month the Taliban kidnapped and later killed government worker and part-time journalist Javid Noori.

Jawad Hejri, spokesman for the Takhar governor, said the gunmen fled without being identified and police were investigating.

Taliban and other Islamist insurgents have repeatedly targeted Afghan journalists, killing 15 in 2018, the deadliest year yet for the country’s media, according to Reporters Without Borders.

The Paris-based media rights group said the three most dangerous countries for journalists to work in were Afghanistan, Syria and Mexico. </s> KABUL (Reuters) - Two Afghan journalists were killed on Tuesday night when gunmen entered a radio station and opened fire, authorities said.

The presenter and reporter, both males in their 20s, died at the scene, said Semin Hussaini, director of Radio Hamsada.

It was not known if they were on air at the time and both police and Hussaini said they no idea of the motive for the attack in Taloqan, capital of the northern province of Takhar.

Theirs was the second killing of journalists in Afghanistan this year. Last month the Taliban kidnapped and later killed government worker and part-time journalist Javid Noori.

Jawad Hejri, spokesman for the Takhar governor, said the gunmen fled without being identified and police were investigating.

Taliban and other Islamist insurgents have repeatedly targeted Afghan journalists, killing 15 in 2018, the deadliest year yet for the country's media, according to Reporters Without Borders.

The Paris-based media rights group said the three most dangerous countries for journalists to work in were Afghanistan, Syria and Mexico.

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.

Firstpost is now on WhatsApp. For the latest analysis, commentary and news updates, sign up for our WhatsApp services. Just go to Firstpost.com/Whatsapp and hit the Subscribe button. </s> KABUL: Two Afghan journalists were killed on Tuesday night when gunmen entered a radio station and opened fire, authorities said.

The presenter and reporter, both males in their 20s, died at the scene, said Semin Hussaini, director of Radio Hamsada.

It was not known if they were on air at the time and both police and Hussaini said they no idea of the motive for the attack in Taloqan, capital of the northern province of Takhar.

Theirs was the second killing of journalists in Afghanistan this year. Last month the Taliban kidnapped and later killed government worker and part-time journalist Javid Noori.

Jawad Hejri, spokesman for the Takhar governor, said the gunmen fled without being identified and police were investigating.

Taliban and other Islamist insurgents have repeatedly targeted Afghan journalists, killing 15 in 2018, the deadliest year yet for the country’s media, according to Reporters Without Borders.

The Paris-based media rights group said the three most dangerous countries for journalists to work in were Afghanistan, Syria and Mexico. </s> KABUL -Two journalists were shot and killed when gunmen stormed their radio station in northeast Afghanistan, officials said Wednesday, underscoring the dangers faced by reporters in the war-torn country.

The pair, both men in their 20s, were gunned down inside the studios of Radio Hamsada, a private broadcaster based in Taloqan, the capital of Takhar province.

Nobody has claimed responsibility for the attack and an investigation was underway, provincial spokesman Jawad Hejri told AFP.

"Two unidentified gunmen entered the radio station's office at around 6 pm on Tuesday. They opened fire on two reporters who were behind their mics during a live programme. Both reporters died at the scene," he said.

The attack is the second this year in Afghanistan targeting journalists and comes as diplomatic efforts to end the 17-year war have intensified.

Last month, Afghan citizen journalist Jawid Noori was snatched from his car and murdered by the Taliban in Farah province in the country's west.

2018 was the deadliest year on record for journalists in Afghanistan, according to Reporters Without Borders.

Amnesty International described the latest attack as a "horrific crime" and urged Afghan authorities to ensure protection for journalists so they could work safely.

"This attack once again highlights the risks journalists continue to face in Afghanistan for just doing their job," the group's South Asia researcher, Zaman Sultani, said in a statement.

Afghanistan's Journalists Safety Committee issued a statement calling on the government to "identify the perpetrators and make sure that the justice is served."

AFP's chief photographer in Afghanistan, Shah Marai, was among 25 people killed along with eight other journalists in a bomb attack in April 2018.

Less than three months later, AFP driver Mohammad Akhtar was killed in another suicide attack on his way to work.

According to RSF, 60 journalists and media workers have been killed in Afghanistan since the US-led invasion in 2001 that toppled the Taliban regime and enabled independent media to blossom in its wake - an average of around three a year. </s> Two journalists have been shot and killed after unidentified gunmen stormed a radio station in northeastern Afghanistan, their colleagues and officials say, the latest deadly attack on reporters in the war-torn country.

Shafiq Arya and Rahimullah Rahmani, both in their 20s, died at the scene, said Semin Hussaini, director of Radio Hamsada, a private broadcaster based in Taloqan, the capital of Takhar Province.

Both Hussaini and police said they had no idea of the motive for the February 5 attack.

Nobody has yet claimed responsibility.

Provincial police chief Rashid Bashir said that an investigation was under way.

"Two unidentified gunmen entered the radio station's office at around 6 p.m. on Tuesday. They opened fire on two reporters who were behind their mics during a live program," Bashir said.

It was the second killing of journalists in Afghanistan this year.

On January 5, journalist Javid Noori was shot dead in his native province of Farah in Afghanistan's west.

A Taliban spokesman said the militant group killed Noori because he worked for the government.

The Taliban and other Islamist groups have repeatedly targeted Afghan journalists, killing 15 in 2018, the deadliest year for Afghanistan's media, according to Reporters Without Borders (RSF).

The Paris-based media watchdog urged the police to "conduct a thorough investigation" in order to identify the latest attack's perpetrators and instigators, Reza Moini, the head of RSF's Iran-Afghanistan desk, said in a statement.

Radio Hamsada employs 11 people, including seven women, and has been broadcasting from 6 a.m. to midnight since 2007, according to RSF.

The London-based human rights group Amnesty International described the attack as a "horrific crime" and urged the authorities to ensure protection for journalists so they could work "freely and without fear."

In a statement, Amnesty South Asia researcher Zaman Sultani said the attack "once again highlights the risks journalists continue to face in Afghanistan for just doing their job."

The U.S. ambassador to Kabul, John Bass, said he was "saddened and angered" by the killings.

"It is time to #EndImpunity for crimes against journalists. #PressFreedom," he tweeted.

Afghanistan is ranked 118th out of 180 countries in RSF's 2018 World Press Freedom Index.

With reporting by Reuters and AFP </s> Two journalists were shot and killed when gunmen stormed their radio station in northeast Afghanistan, officials said.

Shafiq Aria and Rahimullah Rahmani, both in their 20s, were shot on Tuesday inside the studios of Radio Hamsada, a private broadcaster based in Taloqan, the capital of Takhar province.

Nobody has claimed responsibility for the attack so far and an investigation was under way, provincial spokesman Jawad Hejri told the AFP news agency.

"Two unidentified gunmen entered the radio station's office at around 6pm on Tuesday. They opened fire on two reporters who were behind their mics during a live programme. Both reporters died at the scene," he said.

The attack is the second this year in war-torn Afghanistan targeting journalists. Last month, Afghan citizen journalist Jawid Noori was snatched from his car and murdered by the Taliban in Farah province in the country's west.

Taliban and other armed groups have repeatedly attacked Afghan journalists, killing 15 in 2018, the deadliest year yet for the country's media, according to Reporters Without Borders (RSF).

US ambassador to Kabul John Bass said he was "saddened and angered" by the killings. "It is time to #EndImpunity for crimes against journalists. #PressFreedom," he tweeted.

Amnesty International described the attack as a "horrific crime" and urged the Afghan authorities to ensure protection for journalists so they could work safely.

"This attack once again highlights the risks journalists continue to face in Afghanistan for just doing their job," the group's South Asia researcher, Zaman Sultani, said in a statement.

Afghanistan's Journalists Safety Committee called on the government to "identify the perpetrators and make sure that the justice is served".

AFP's photographer in Afghanistan, Shah Marai, was among 25 people killed along with eight other journalists in a bomb attack in April 2018.

Less than three months later, AFP driver Mohammad Akhtar was killed in another suicide attack on his way to work.

According to RSF, 60 journalists and media workers have been killed in Afghanistan since the US-led invasion in 2001 that toppled the Taliban regime, an average of around three a year. </s> Afghan security forces have engaged three gunmen who have attacked a state radio and television building in Afghanistan’s eastern Nangarhar Province.

The gunmen began the Wednesday attack by detonating a bomb and managed to enter the state-run radio and television building in the provincial capital Jalalabad.

The building is close to the governor’s compound and a police station.

Heavy gunfire erupted between the security forces and the assailants, while some journalists and staff were trapped in the building, according to a photographer, who said he fled the building as soon as the gunfight started.

Government spokesman Attaullah Khogyani said there were three assailants. “Two of them have been killed and one is still resisting,” he said.

There were no immediate reports of casualties on the side of staff and security forces, according to Interior Ministry spokesman Najib Danish.

The Takfiri Daesh terror group, which is active in the mountainous eastern province, claimed responsibility for the assault.

Elsewhere in the country, three civilians were killed in separate bomb attacks, officials said on Wednesday.

Two civilians were killed and two others were wounded in a bomb blast late Tuesday in the Nijrab district in Kapisa Province. Another civilian was also killed and 10 others were wounded, including three policemen, in twin bomb blasts in the southern Kandahar Province.

Those attacks have not been claimed by any group, either.

The Taliban have stepped up their attacks with the start of spring. They have been engaging in militancy since a US-led invasion of Afghanistan in 2001, which toppled a government run by them.

Daesh has gained a foothold in Afghanistan more recently.
• Death Toll Rises To Six In RTA TV Attack
Two Afghan journalists are killed by gunmen in an attack on a radio station in Taloqan, Takhar province.