Bus was carrying staff members from Afghan broadcaster Tolo TV

TOLO News has confirmed that seven people died in the attack, six of which were staff. The seventh fatality remains undisclosed.

Samandar Khan, President of the Afghan Independent Journalists Association (AIJA) an affiliate of the IFJ, said: “It is with all sadness I want share with you all that we lost seven member of Kabura production related to TOLO TV”.

Human Rights Watch said in a statement Thursday the bombing that targeted Tolo TV employees was an “atrocity created to undermine Afghanistan’s still-fragile media freedom”.

Tolo, which created Afghanistan’s first 24-hour news channel, has won a reputation for fast, credible reporting in a shifting media landscape that features scores of newspapers, broadcasters and online news sites.

“This was not just an attack on Tolo, but an attack on journalism”, Abdul Bari Jahani, minister of information and culture, said during the memorial service which was broadcast live.

TOKYO – Twenty-two people on a tour bus in Tokyo were injured when the bus crashed on National Route 8 in the center of the capital on Wednesday.

The emergence of a free and vibrant media is seen as one of the main achievements of post-Taliban Afghanistan.

“If they do not stop their evil activities, this will not be the last attack on them”, Zabihullah Mujahid, a religious scholar, said.

Interior Ministry spokesman Sediq Sediqqi, for his part, told Anadolu Agency that the targeted vehicle had not been accompanied by a military escort when the attack occurred.

The U.S. condemned the attack and said freedom of the press was “a cornerstone to democracy”.

No one has yet claimed responsibility for the attack.

“Tolo” means sunrise or dawn in Dari and Pashto, and symbolises the beginning of a new era for Afghans.

Biden offered condolences for Wednesday terrorist attacks in Pakistan and Afghanistan that resulted in civilian casualties.

This week, Afghanistan, Pakistan, the United States and China called on the Taliban to resume peace talks with the Kabul government, but the insurgent group has not indicated whether it will participate.