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Aimaq, editor-in-chief of Voice of Ghor radio, is the fifth media worker to be killed in Afghanistan in two months.
An Afghan radio journalist was ambushed in a car in central Ghor province, making him the fifth media worker to be killed in two months in Afghanistan.
Besmullah Adel Aimaq, editor-in-chief of Voice of Ghor radio, was gunned down on Friday en route to Firoz Koh, capital of Ghor province, governor spokesman Aref Aber said.
Aimaq’s murder has followed a similar pattern in recent months, where prominent Afghans have been ambushed by gunmen or killed in bombings.
No group has yet claimed responsibility for the murder.
Series of targeted killings
Targeted assassinations of prominent figures, including journalists, politicians and rights activists, have become more common in recent months as violence escalates in Afghanistan despite ongoing peace talks with the Taliban.
Afghan journalist Rahmatullah Nekzad was assassinated in the eastern city of Ghazni last month.
He was shot and killed by unknown assailants on his way to a mosque near his home, according to reports.
In November last year, Radio Liberty reporter Aliyas Dayee was killed in a car bomb in the south of the town of Lashkar Gah.
Much of the violence has been sparked by the Taliban as they try to gain influence in the peace talks, which began in September in Qatar’s capital, Doha, but are currently on hiatus until in early January.
According to a report by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CJP) published in December 2020, “the number of journalists accused of murder in reprisal for their work more than doubled” last year.
“Around the world, at least 30 journalists were killed in 2020; 21 of them were chosen for murder in retaliation for their work… while others were killed in action, in crossfire or in another mission which has become dangerous, ”the report said.
Afghanistan was high on the list of countries with a significant number of these killings.
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