Afghanistan: Two TV workers killed in explosion

Text by: Sonia Ghezali

An explosion targeting employees of a television channel took place this Saturday, May 30 in Kabul, Afghanistan. Two people died, a journalist and a chain technician. At least four passengers were injured. The Taliban deny any involvement.

Publicity

From our correspondent in Kabul,

It is 4 p.m. when an explosion is heard in the center of Kabul. It is a minibus carrying employees of the Khurshid television channel which explodes on a mine. Half burnt, the vehicle lies on the side of the road in the heart of the Afghan capital . For now, the event has not been claimed and the Taliban deny any involvement.

It is not the first time that the private television channel has been targeted. In August 2019, a bus carrying employees had already been targeted using the same process and within the same perimeter. The driver and a passer-by were killed.

Increase in violence in recent months

Attacks on the media are recurrent in Afghanistan. Last year, 49 journalists were killed, a figure "  historically low  ", said Reporter Without Borders in his annual report comparing this assessment to the 80 deaths on average recorded over the past two decades.

Despite an agreement signed between the Americans and the Taliban to withdraw foreign troops within 14 months, violence has increased in recent months. After a 72-hour ceasefire initiated by the Taliban to mark the end of Ramadan on Sunday May 24, the insurgents resumed their offensive. In another attack that took place on Friday May 29 in the east of the country, 14 members of the Afghan forces lost their lives.

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• Afghanistan

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