Taliban Attack on Afghan Media Group Widely Condemned

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.

Wednesday evening’s suicide attack on a private TV channel’s bus in the heart of Kabul has drawn sharp criticism from media watchdogs and other organisations.

At least 20 others – including passers-by – were wounded.

No groups, including the Taliban, have yet claimed responsibility for the deadly attack.

The assault on Tolo, a privately run news and entertainment station often critical of the militants, marks the first major attack on an Afghan media organisation since the Taliban were ousted from power in 2001. “So long as insurgents falsely categorize journalists as ‘military targets, ‘ media freedom in Afghanistan is in peril”.

A suicide bombing near the Russian embassy in the capital of Kabul targeted the staff of a TV station the Taliban had previously threatened. “We’ve frequently seen operations by the Taliban up in this area”, Phil Mudd, a counterterrorism analyst said on CNN.

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

The Taliban have threatened media organizations in the past and in October directly threatened Tolo TV and another popular station, 1TV, purportedly for unfavorable reporting. The Taliban briefly captured and held Kunduz before being dislodged by U.S.-backed Afghan forces.

Tolo News is a 24-hour news channel in Afghanistan. Biden held a trilateral meeting with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and Sharif to help the two neighbours co-operate and co-ordinate on counter-terrorism measures, the White House said.

The Taliban has increased attacks on civilian targets in recent months as part of a fierce offensive that has wrested territory from the Afghan government.

Local Urdu TV channel Waqt News quoted Umar Mansoor, a commander of the Geedar group of TTP, as saying that they had sent four men for the attack.

“If they do not stop their evil activities this will not be the last attack on them”, Zabihullah Mujahid, a Taliban spokesman, said in an emailed statement.