Afghans shocked after female media workers killed
JALALABAD: Outrage rippled through Afghanistan on Wednesday as funerals were held for three female media workers gunned down in the eastern city of Jalalabad, with insurgent violence increasing as peace talks stall.
Journalists, activists and judges have recently been ambushed by gunmen or killed by explosives atached to their vehicles as surging violence forces many into hiding — with some leaving Afghanistan.
The killings have escalated since peace talks began last year between the Afghan government and the Taliban, sparking fears that the insurgents are eliminating perceived opponents as negotiations stall.
The three women were shot and killed in two separate atacks just ten minutes apart ater they let the Enikass TV station on Tuesday in what one colleague described as an orchestrated hit.
A Daesh affiliate later claimed responsibility for the murders, saying its gunmen carried out the killings of what it called “journalists working for one of the media stations loyal to the apostate Afghan government.”
Friends and family gathered at the women’s funerals in Jalalabad where men took turns digging fresh graves with a shovel as others pleaded for an end to the deaths.
Rohan Sadat described his sister Sadia Sadat as “shy but active” who was also passionate about fighting for women’s rights and had planned to atend university and study law.
“We have buried her with all her hopes here,” Sadat said.
Another colleague at Enikass TV who spoke on the condition of anonymity said the station was reeling from the murders, saying the three victims were like “family”.
“Three innocent girls were shot dead in the daylight in the middle of the city. Nobody is safe anymore,” said the colleague.
In December, another female employee working for Enikass TV was murdered in Jalalabad in similar circumstances.
Anger also simmered online with social media users lashing out over the latest killings.
“It seems this war is not for Islam, it is just for power through spreading fear and terrorism,” wrote Ghani Khan.
“These girls were working to help their families. They were not [at] war with the Taliban. They were poor, they just worked to feed their family,” said Rauf Afghan.