Taliban attack on TV employees widely condemned

A deadly Taliban suicide bombing against Afghanistan’s leading private media group, Tolo News has created severe domestic and international outrage and is being widely condemned as an assault on freedom of speech

A suicide bomber struck the minibus with workers from Tolo TV, owned by the private Moby Group, the country’s biggest media organization. At least seven people were killed and 25 were wounded in the explosion late Wednesay.

The bus was hit as it was passing near the Russian Embassy, which triggered initial speculation that the mission was the target.

Speaking to reporters in Kabul Thursday Afghan Interior Ministry spokesman Sediq Seddiqi said the attack is under investigation and promised to enhance security of media professionals in consultation with their organizations.

The Taliban claimed responsibility for the violence, saying it was meant to punish Tolo TV for broadcasting anti-Afghan and anti-Taliban programs.

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid in a statement sent to reporters shortly after the bombing also accused Tolo of being a “spy agency” and warned others against indulging in such activities. “If they do not stop their evil activities, this will not be the last attack on them,” he added.

In response to the widespread condemnation, the Taliban on Thursday again justified its attack on Tolo TV workers, saying it aimed at an “intelligence network and not media.”

In a statement, spokesman Mujahid went on to say that the condemnations by Afghan leaders, the United States and other organizations “can never break our resolve and neither will propaganda and media warnings change our path.”

The U.N. Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) condemned the attack and reiterated that journalists, as civilians, may never be the object of attack or threats.

The attack on Tolo TV was an “atrocity designed to undermine Afghanistan’s still fragile media freedom,” the Human Rights Watch organization said in a statement.