8 killed in auto bomb near Russian Embassy in Kabul

Massoud Hossaini/AP Afghan men carries an injured man to a hospital after a suicide attack near the Russian embassy in Kabul.

A Tolo TV reporter told the BBC’s Kawoon Khamoosh he was fortunate to be alive after almost burning to death.

The Taliban has been battling the Afghan government and its foreign allies since being ousted from power after the USA invasion.

As the biggest TV station in Afghanistan, Tolo News employs dozens of journalists, many in the volatile provinces.

DAMASCUS – At least 3,000 people have been killed in Russian airstrikes in Syria since September 30 of previous year, a Syrian monitor group reported on Wednesday.

Six of those killed were staffers of the Moby Group, a privately-owned media and entertainment company that has been threatened by the Taliban in the past.

Tolo TV and 1TV are among the most-watched networks in Afghanistan. Tolo is among Afghanistan’s most credible media outlets and was the first 24-hour news station in the country.

The bombing occurred on the same street where the Russian embassy is.

“Murdering those who work to enlighten, educate and entertain will not stop Afghans from exercising their universal human right to freedom of expression”, the embassy said.

The deadly assault spotlights the growing dangers faced by media workers in Afghanistan, as the security situation worsens amid a growing wave of militant attacks.

Rahimi said the attackers, driving a vehicle packed with explosives, targeted a minibus belonging to Kaboora.

Envoys from Afghanistan, Pakistan, China and the United States are scheduled to meet in Kabul later this week to discuss possible peace initiatives.

Vice President Biden and President Ashraf Ghani condemned the Charsada terror attack and conveyed their grief over the loss of precious lives.

During the meeting Biden reaffirmed USA support for reconciliation and improved bilateral ties between Afghanistan and Pakistan and called them important pillars of regional stability.

The Taliban declared the media organization a legitimate “military target” in late 2015. The negotiations are aimed at reviving talks with the Taliban.