Afghans in shock after three women media workers killed
Jalalabad, Afghanistan - Outrage rippled through Afghanistan 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 attached 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 attacks just ten minutes apart after they left the Enikass TV station on Tuesday in what one colleague described as an orchestrated hit.
An Islamic State 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 attend university and study law.