Gunmen kill ex-Afghan TV personality
KABUL, Afghanistan — Gunmen killed a former Afghan TV presenter Thursday as he was traveling in the southern city of Kandahar, a provincial official said, adding to fears for press freedom in the war-wrecked country.
Nimat Rawan was shot at noon by two assailants who escaped with his mobile phone, provincial spokesman Baheer Ahmadi said. Security officials have told several other journalists in the area that extremists are targeting them, he added.
The killing heightens worries over the fate of Afghan journalists as U.S. troops pull out. Many fear violence will spike and reprisals will be taken out against those who worked with foreign forces.
Rawan was a former presenter for the well-known local channel Tolonews. He had been working in the Finance Ministry’s media office, media watchdog Nia said in a statement.
No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, but it came a day after the Taliban issued a threat to Afghan journalists who it considered too close to U.S.backed security agencies.
In a statement, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid warned Afghan journalists against giving “one-sided news in support of Afghanistan’s intelligence,” or otherwise “face the consequences.”