AFJC strongly condemns the horrific suicide attack in Kabul city that killed at least 85 people, including a TOLO TV employee and a BBC driver and wounded more than 400, including 13 media workers.
This statement was originally published on afjc.af on 31 May 2017.
AFJC strongly condemns today’s horrific suicide attack in Kabul city that killed at least 85 people, including a TOLO TV employee and a BBC driver and wounded more than 400, including 13 media workers.
According to TOLOnews, Aziz Nawin, 22, was killed while on his way to work. He worked in the IT department for MOBY, the holding company of TOLO TV and TOLOnews.
In addition, a driver for BBC was killed and four other BBC staff members were wounded in the incident.
“It is with great sadness that the BBC can confirm the death of BBC Afghan driver Mohammed Nazir following the vehicle bomb in Kabul earlier today, as he was driving journalist colleagues to the office,” Francesca Unsworth, the BBC World Service Director, said in a statement.
“Four BBC journalists were also injured and were treated in hospital. Their injuries are not thought to be life threatening,” Unsworth said.
Three TOLO TV, three 1TV and three other media employees were also wounded in the blast.
A tanker truck bomb was detonated at the entrance of the Green Zone at Zanbaq Square in Kabul city at 8:20am Wednesday 31 May 2017, killing at least 85 civilians and wounding more than 400 hundred, Kabul officials said.
The AFJC condemns the bombing and offers its condolences to the families and colleagues of Aziz Nawin and Mohammad Nazir and calls on the Afghan government to strengthen its efforts to secure media workers’ safety and to put in place all possible means to limit the risks.
AFJC’s record shows that the death of TOLO TV and BBC workers brought to more than 74 the number of journalists and media workers killed in Afghanistan since the falling of the Taliban regime in 2001, with eight killed in 2017 alone.
