KABUL: Gunmen murdered an Afghan journalist in the eastern city of Ghazni on Monday, the third reporter to be killed in the last two months in the violence-plagued country.

Rahmatullah Nekzad was shot dead with a silenced pistol by unknown gunmen near his home while he was travelling to a nearby mosque, Ghazni province police spokesman Ahmad Khan Seerat said.

Targeted killings of prominent figures, including journalists, politicians and rights activists, have become more common in recent months as violence surges in Afghanistan, despite ongoing peace talks between the government and the Taliban.

No group has claimed Nekzad’s murder so far, and the Taliban have denied responsibility.

Nekzad, aged in his late 40s, had contributed to the Associated Press news agency since 2007 and had worked for the Al Jazeera broadcast network, according to the Afghan Journalists Safety Committee.

“AJSC strongly condemns the serial killing of Afghan journalists,” the committee, which reports on threats to media workers in the country, said on Twitter.

It said seven media personnel had been killed so far this year in Afghanistan, a country rated as one of the deadliest for journalists by media watchdog Reporters Without Borders.

Nekzad was married and is survived by six children. His assassination drew strong condemnation.

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani condemned the “terrorist attack” that killed Nekzad.

“The attack against civilians, public facilities and media workers are attacks against the freedom of expression and a crime against humanity,” Ghani said in a statement.

Global rights group Amnesty International said on Twitter that the murder was a “horrific crime” and called for the perpetrators to be brought to justice.

Nekzad’s death follows the assassination earlier this month of female news anchor and activist Malalai Maiwand, who was shot dead with her driver in Jalalabad in an attack claimed by the militant Islamic State group.

Last month, Radio Liberty reporter Aliyas Dayee was killed in a car bomb attack in southern Lashkar Gah city. No group has claimed his murder so far.

Published in Dawn, December 22nd, 2020