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AFGHANISTAN-CONFLICT-MEDIA
‘Nobody is safe anymore’: Afghans in shock after three female media
workers killed
JALALABAD, Afghanistan, March 3, 2021 (BSS/AFP) – Outrage rippled through
Afghanistan Wednesday as funerals were held for three female media workers
gunned down in the eastern city of Jalalabad, the latest assassinations to
rack the war-weary country.
Journalists, activists and judges have recently been ambushed by gunmen or
killed by explosives attached to their vehicles as surging violence forces
many into hiding — with some leaving Afghanistan.
The killings have escalated since peace talks began last year between the
Afghan government and the Taliban, sparking fears that the insurgents are
eliminating perceived opponents.
The three women were shot and killed in two separate attacks after they
left the Enikass TV station where they worked on Tuesday.
An Islamic State affiliate later claimed responsibility for the murders,
saying its gunmen carried out the killings of what it called “journalists
working for one of the media stations loyal to the apostate Afghan
government”.
Friends and family gathered in Jalalabad to bury their loved ones as they
pleaded for an end to the killings.
Mohammad Nazif said his cousin Sadia Sadat was just 18 years old when she
was killed Tuesday, and she had been working at the TV station over the past
year to help support her family.
“Her family was very happy for her to work in TV. She had not received any
warnings,” Nazif told AFP.
“I don’t know why the militants target such innocent girls. I ask them to
stop the targeted killing of media workers.”
A colleague at Enikass TV who spoke on condition of anonymity said the
station was reeling from the murders, saying the three victims were like
“family”.
“Three innocent girls were shot dead in the daylight in the middle of the
city. Nobody is safe anymore,” said the colleague.
In December, another female employee working for Enikass TV was murdered
in Jalalabad in similar circumstances.
Afghanistan has long been ranked as one of the most dangerous countries in
the world for journalists.
At least nine media workers have been killed since peace talks with the
Taliban started in September, according to the Afghan Journalists Safety
Committee.
US officials have blamed the Taliban for the wave of violence, while the
Kabul government said the insurgents routinely hide behind IS claims to cover
their tracks. The Taliban has denied the charges.
BSS/AFP/FI/ 1456 hrs