Two Afghan journalists Shafiq Arya and Rahimullah were killed on Tuesday night when gunmen entered a radio station and opened fire, authorities said.
The presenter and reporter, both males in their 20s, died at the scene, said Semin Hussaini, director of Radio Hamsada.
It was not known if they were on air at the time and both police and Hussaini said they no idea of the motive for the attack in Taloqan, capital of the northern province of Takhar.
Theirs was the second killing of journalists in Afghanistan this year. Last month the Taliban kidnapped and later killed government worker and part-time journalist Javid Noori.
Jawad Hejri, spokesman for the Takhar governor, said the gunmen fled without being identified and police were investigating.
Taliban and other Islamist insurgents have repeatedly targeted Afghan journalists, killing 15 in 2018, the deadliest year yet for the country’s media, according to Reporters Without Borders.
The Paris-based media rights group said the three most dangerous countries for journalists to work in were Afghanistan, Syria and Mexico.Local authorities said the motive and perpetrators of these killings were not known yet, but they started investigations.
Denouncing the brutal act, the AJSC called on the government to identify the perpetrators and make sure that the justice is served, according to the statement.
Taliban and other insurgent groups have been targeting journalists working in Afghanistan. According to statistics compiled by the AJSC, 17 journalists have been murdered in Afghanistan in 2018.
Two staff members of Radio Hamsada — a local radio station based in northeastern Takhar province — were shot dead in Kabul on Wednesday.
According to a statement by the Afghan Journalists Safety Committee (AJSC), the attack was carried out by unidentified gunmen.
The Taliban and other insurgent groups have been targeting journalists working in Afghanistan. According to statistics compiled by the AJSC, 17 journalists were murdered in Afghanistan in 2018 alone.
