[WORLD NEWS] CPJ condemns attack on Tolo TV employees in Afghanistan

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

“If they do not stop their evil activities this will not be the last attack on them”, said Zabihullah Mujahid, a Taliban spokesman, by email. Tolo TV confirmed in a live news broadcast that the bus was Kaboora’s.

No Russian staff were hurt in an explosion near the country’s embassy in Afghanistan’s capital Kabul on Wednesday, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

The Taliban said it carried out the attack.

The Taliban says it was behind a bomb attack targeting TV station workers that left seven people dead in the Afghan capital, months after promising to exact revenge for what it said was false and unfair reporting.

Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif on Thursday said Pakistan’s economy was on the right trajectory and the government’s solid policies would boost the country’s economic conditions. He accused Tolo TV of being part of the West’s intelligence network.

In a joint statement, the four nations said Monday their talks “made progress on a roadmap toward initiating peace talks with Taliban groups”. If by “impartial media outlets” the Taliban mean outlets which are not critical of attacks on civilians-such as those riding the bus home from work-there aren’t many around.

Since the beginning of 2016, Kabul has been hit by at least at least six bomb attacks – in the most recent on Sunday a rocket landed near the Italian embassy, wounding two security guards.

The quadrilateral summit consist representatives from Afghanistan, Pakistan, United States and China.

The Taliban particularly boosted its operations in Afghanistan after North Atlantic Treaty Organisation ended its military mission in late 2014 and launched a non-combat operation instead.

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

Observers have speculated that the attacks could be aimed at destabilising attempts to revive peace talks with Taliban, but there is no confirmation.