Press Statement

Radio and TV offices attacked in Nangarhar, Afghanistan

10 Jun, 2016

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) joins its affiliate the Afghan Independent Journalists Association (AIJA) in condemning the attack on Enekas Radio and Afghan TV Cable Network in Jalalabad, Nangarhar province on Wednesday, June 8. The IFJ demands swift action from the Afghanistan government to ensure prosecution of the attackers and security of other media outlets in the province.

On Wednesday, an unknown group planted improvised explosive devices (IED) on the roof of the radio station and cable TV network offices. The explosion damaged the transmission equipment, causing transmission to be halted. No one was injured in the incident. Zaman Suhil, the program manager of Enekas Radio, said that three bombs were placed on top of station building. After the attack, a fourth bomb was defused by the security forces.

Engineer Zulmay, who established the radio station in 2001, said that he had received threats from local Taliban and ISIS groups over the past few months. Police are investigating the incident.

In a statement released by the AIJA, President Samandar Khan condemned the attack and called on Afghan officials to investigate the case and take more strong security measures for all media outlets in Nangarhar province. The AIJA said: “Nangarhar province remains a hub for ISIS and Taliban activities and both groups monitor the media operations closely.”

The Afghanistan Journalists Center (AFJC) has also strongly condemned the attacks and urged the government to do more to protect journalists. “We expect the relevant authorities to immediately investigate and prosecute without any delay the perpetrators of this unacceptable attack,” AFJC said.

The IFJ said: “We strongly condemn the attack on the offices of Enekas Radio and Afghan TV Cable Network in Afghanistan. The attack shows the dangerous situation under which the journalists and media in Afghanistan operate. We urge the Afghanistan government to fulfil its commitment to ensure safety and security to the journalists and media.”

Written By

IFJ Asia-Pacific IFJ Asia-Pacific

The IFJ represents more than 600,000 journalists in 140 countries.
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