Unknown
gunmen killed Ahmad Shah, a journalist with BBC Afghan service, on April 30,
2018 in Khost province, Eastern Afghanistan making the day the deadliest for
media as nine other journalists were killed in a suicide attack in Kabul.
The
International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) joined the Afghanistan
Independent Journalists Association (AIJA) in strongly condemning the targeted
killing of Shah and demanded swift action from the authorities to arrest and
punish the killers.
According
to media reports, two unknown armed men riding on a motorcycle shot Shah dead
while he was on his way home at around 4 PM. It was not immediately clear the
reason behind the killing and no group has taken responsibility for the attack.
A
statement from BBC World Service said: "It is with
great sadness that the BBC can confirm the death of BBC Afghan reporter Ahmad
Shah following an attack earlier today. The attack took place in Khost
province. Ahmad Shah was 29. He had worked for the BBC Afghan service for more
than a year and had already established himself as a highly capable journalist
who was a respected and popular member of the team. This is a devastating
loss.”
Anthony
Bellanger, IFJ General Secretary, said: “The killing of
journalist Ahmad Shah in Khost, Afghanistan adds more misery to an already
terrible day for Afghan media community. Today, we lost 10 journalists in line
of duty, making it the deadliest day for journalism in the country. The IFJ
strongly condemns the killing of journalist Shah and demands urgent action from
the authorities to arrest and punish the killers. The reigning impunity for
crimes against journalists and the government’s lack of concrete action to
protect journalists are key causes of increased violence against journalists in
Afghanistan. The IFJ urges Afghan government to urgently take drastic action to
ensure the safety of journalists and justice to slain journalists.”
IFJ
affiliate AIJA also condemned the attack and urged the Afghan
government to take actions to secure Afghan journalists.