The International Federation of Journalists is reporting that seven people may have been killed in an attack on media workers in Afghanistan.
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A Taliban group claimed responsibility for the attack-but another Taliban group has disavowed that group and said they wouldn’t attack students.
Local Urdu TV channel Waqt News quoted Umar Mansoor, a commander of the Geedar group of TTP, as saying that they had sent four men for the attack. In a December 2014 statement, the Taliban explicitly threatened to attack any journalists seen as supporting “Western values”.
“They agreed to keep focus on the goal of ensuring peace and reconciliation in Afghanistan which was both in the interest of Afghanistan and the region”, an official statement said.
“Murdering those who work to enlighten, educate, and entertain will not stop Afghans from exercising their universal human right to freedom of expression”, according to a statement issued by the American Embassy on Wednesday evening.
The bomber targeted a bus carrying staff members from Afghan broadcaster Tolo TV and video production company Kaboora Productions, Afghan Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah said. “By specifically targeting journalists, terrorists have proven once again they have no regard for Afghanistan’s people or future”, said Brig.
Along with another popular privately-owned station, 1 TV, Tolo was threatened by the Taliban in October following the broadcast of reports on the insurgents’ activities in the northern city of Kunduz, which the Taliban held for three days from late September. AIJA strongly condemns this attack and calls on worldwide organisations to join the wider condemnation.
The Mission also reiterated that global humanitarian law, which applies to all parties to the conflict in Afghanistan, prohibits attacks against civilians at any time and in any place.
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The Afghanistan Independent Journalists Association (AIJA) also condemned the attack. Pakistan, Afghanistan, China and the United States have called on all Afghan Taliban groups to start talks with Kabul to find a political solution to the long-running conflict in the war-torn country.
