Unidentified gunmen have shot dead an Afghan journalist, a local spokesman said on Friday, the fifth journalist to be killed in the country in two months.
Seconds The Associated Press, Bismillah Adil Aimaq was driving near Feroz Koh, the provincial capital of Ghor, traveling home after a visit with the family to a nearby village.
Arif Abir, a spokesman for the governor, said gunmen opened fire on the vehicle and killed Aimaq. Abir added that others than other people in the vehicle, including Aimaq’s brother, were unharmed in the attack.
The AP reported that no group has taken any responsibility and a Taliban spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, denied that its members were involved.
Aimaq, who was also known as a human rights activist, worked as the head of the local radio station Sada-e-Ghor.
The assassination comes after the death last week of Ghazni province journalists’ union leader Rahmatullah Nekzad. The AP reported that he was attacked outside his home by a group of gunmen.
Nekzad had contributed to reporting to the PA since 2007, and had previously worked for Al Jazeera.
In December, the Islamic State claimed responsibility for the killing of Afghan anchor Malala Maiwand, who was shot as she was leaving her home in Nangarhar province.
Maiwand’s death was preceded by the killing of two Afghan journalists in separate bombings.
This week, Reporters Without Borders included Afghanistan among the the five deadliest countries of journalists in 2020, along with Mexico, Iraq, Pakistan and India.
This week, Afghanistan’s Independent Human Rights Commission claimed that recent deaths mark an increased trend in the goal of Afghan journalists, which the group said led to self-censorship among local media.
Violence has continued even amid peace talks launched in September between the Taliban and the Kabul government, although talks have been suspended until this month.
Reporters Without Borders found it this week more journalists around the world died outside the war zones in 2020, with most deliberately targeted.
Of the 50 journalists killed last year, 34 were in countries that were not involved in armed conflict. The number of journalists killed outside war zones exceeded those in conflict zones as of 2016.
The 2020 report also found that 42 journalists were deliberately targeted for their work. These journalists investigated organized crime groups, corruption, and issues related to environmental issues such as illegal mining or land grabbing.