Young Journalist Killed In Afghanistan

By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News

(Worthy News) – A young Afghan journalist has been shot dead in western Afghanistan, the fifth media professional to be killed within two months in the war-ravaged nation, officials confirmed Saturday.

Bismellah Adel Aimaq, 28, chief editor of Sada-e-Ghor (Voice of Ghor) radio station and a rights activist, was reportedly murdered near Firoz Koh city, the capital of Ghor province.

Shooters targeted Aimaq in a vehicle while returning to his Firoz Koh home after visiting family in a nearby village, provincial authorities said.

The provincial governor’s spokesman, Arif Abir, told media that others in the car, including Aimaq’s brother, were unharmed.

No one immediately claimed responsibility for the shooting. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said in published remarks that his Islamist militant group was “in no way” linked to the shooting.

Last week, Rahmatullah Nekzad, who headed the journalists’ union in eastern Ghazni province, was killed in an attack by armed men outside his home. Nekzad was well known in the area and had contributed to The Associated Press (AP) since 2007, the news agency said. He had also worked for the Al Jazeera television network.

CONTROVERSIAL FOOTAGE

Afghanistan’s intelligence department claimed two perpetrators in that ambush were detained. They aired video recordings of the two, with their purported confessions to the slaying and to being Taliban fighters. The Taliban denied involvement in the killing, calling it “a cowardly act.” However, “large swaths of Ghazni province are under Taliban control,” the AP noted.

It comes amid broader concerns about Islamic extremism towards journalists and other groups.

The Islamic State group, blamed for several attacks against reporters, Christians, and others it doesn’t like, claimed responsibility for killing another Afghan journalist earlier last month.

Two assailants opened fire and shot dead TV anchorwoman Malala Maiwand as she left her house in eastern Nangarhar province. Her driver was also killed.

And, in November, two journalists were killed in separate bombings.

The Committee to Protect Journalists has condemned the ongoing attacks on journalists in Afghanistan. The international press freedom group Reporters Without Borders has called the country one of the world’s deadliest for journalists.

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