Three female employees of Enikass TV were gunned down by unknown armed men in Two separate attacks in Nangarhar province.
According to reports the first incident took place in PD1 of Jalalabad city as the victims “Saadia and Shahnaz” were on their way home.
Gunmen in the second incident Targeted Mursal Waheedi in Jalalabad city’s PD4.
Zalmay Latifi, the head of the TV and radio network whined that Today was a bad day for Enikass TV, and all the female employees were Top workers at the dubbing section.
The killed defenseless female employees had many years of working experience with the TV firm.
Reports indicated that the national intelligence agency already informed Enikass TV of Possible threats against its employees.
Two other women who were passing by the area where the attack occurred were also injured in the shooting and were taken to a nearby hospital for treatment.
No group including the Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack, but Juma Gul Hemat, police chief of Nangarhar says a perpetrator involved in this incident has been detained”.
According to Hemat “Qari Basir” who he claimed is a member of the Taliban was arrested in connection to the murder of three female employees of Enikass TV.
The culprit was captured in Nangarhar and a gun equipped with a sound suppressor was also found with him.
Earlier, Malalai Maiwad, a journalist at Enikass TV, and her driver were killed on December 10, 2020, when gunmen sprayed bullets on their vehicle in Jalalabad city, Malalai was also an activist.
Meanwhile, President Ashraf Ghani strongly condemned the incident and said that “terrorist attacks” on our innocent compatriots, especially on women are contrary to Islamic teachings and are against the Afghan culture, ARG stated.
The president added that such attacks are challenging the spirit of peace and turns the current war crisis more complex and prolongs the violence, the statement read.
The president stressed that by carrying such faint-hearted attacks, the Taliban are creating an atmosphere of terror but they cannot silence the supportive voices of the republic and its gains of the past two decades.
US embassy in Kabul tweeted, “Devastating news out of Jalalabad this evening. As Afghan journalists across the country face threats, three female media workers have been gunned down.”
“We must end impunity with open & transparent investigations into these vicious murders. We call on the government to defend press freedom & protect journalists. The perpetrators must be held accountable & stop their terrorism against Afghan civilians,” the US embassy added.
EU in Afghanistan also condemned the attacks on three female media employees.
The organization tweeted that purpose of such attacks is “to spread fear and limit the freedom of speech. We expect that these cruel acts are thoroughly & transparently investigated, & that those responsible are brought to justice”
EU in Afghanistan tweeted about “horrific news from Jalalabad on the killing of 3 young female media workers from EnikassTV. The cowardliness knows no limits, killing innocent civilians is a war crime punishable under International Humanitarian Law”
“These attacks serve one purpose: to spread fear and limit the freedom of speech. We expect that these cruel acts are thoroughly & transparently investigated, & that those responsible are brought to justice”, EU in Afghanistan tweeted.
on the other hand, Japan’s Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi in a phone call with Afghan Foreign Minister, Hanif Atmar condemned targeted killings and bombings in Afghanistan.
According to the MoFA statement, the Japanese Minister condemned the targeted killings and car bombings in Afghanistan, calling for a reduction in violence and making progress in the peace process.
Motegi also reiterated Japan’s continued support to Afghanistan, the statement said.
This comes as assassinations, targeted killings, and magnetic IED blasts have intensified across Afghanistan and many journalists, public figures, and activists were cold-bloodedly murdered despite efforts for peace.
Violence on daily basis remains extremely high.
