Tolo staff hit in Afghanistan

A bomber blew up a bus carrying employees of Afghanistan’s largest media organization on Wednesday, leaving seven people dead and 26 others wounded.

“Tolo TV runs Afghanistan’s first 24-hour news channel and, along with its website, is one of the country’s most well-known news sources”.

Tolo TV confirmed in a series of tweets that seven of its staff members had been killed. Last year, the Taliban had declared one of the media group’s flagship stations, Tolo News, a legitimate target and accused it of promoting immorality and foreign culture.

However, he said the government remains firm regarding the Afghan constitution and women’s rights, insisting that no compromise would be made in this regard and any amendments would be made in the light of the Afghan constitution.

The Taliban on Thursday said it is not specifically targeting media as part of a widening insurgency, but warned organizations they should not align themselves with Tolo.

Abdullah Abdullah, the Chief Executive Officer of Afghanistan – an extra constitutional post created in 2014 following a dispute over the presidential elections – condemned the attack and said he had drawn up plans for more security.

“You can not silence our voice”, said of the presenters on Tolo News shortly after Wednesday’s attack.

“Strong and independent journalism, free from intimidation and fear of criminal violence, is essential for a healthy democracy and decent society”, said Tadamichi Yamamoto, the secretary-general’s deputy special representative for Afghanistan.

The New York-based group said journalists have been consistently threatened by the insurgents, including in December 2014, when the Taliban “explicitly threatened to attack any journalists seen as supporting Western values”.

The negotiations are aimed at reviving talks with the Taliban.

The meeting came less than a week after diplomats from Afghanistan, Pakistan, China and the United States met in Kabul and called on the Taliban to resume peace talks with the Afghan government.

“Afghan insurgents should respect the right for journalists to operate without fear for their lives from deliberate targeted attacks”, Gossman said.

The latest incident follows recent attacks near the Indian, Pakistani and Italian missions in Afghanistan.