MONITORING (SW) – The Daesh terrorist group has claimed responsibility for a Saturday attack in the Balkh province, the group’s telegram account said on Sunday.
The blast at a cultural center during an event for journalists in northern Afghanistan killed at least one person and wounded eight, according to authorities and journalists, reported Reuters.
The incident came a few days after the province’s governor died in an explosion also claimed by Daesh.
The deadly blast in Balkh targeting journalists was widely condemned.
Following the explosion in the gathering of journalists in Balkh, Richard Bennett, the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights for Afghanistan, has called for more support for Afghan journalists.
He wrote on his Twitter handle on Saturday that the attack on the gathering of journalists at the Tabiyan Cultural Center in Mazar-e-Sharif is another blow to freedom of expression in Afghanistan.
Richard Bennett has called for a detailed investigation and follow-up of the explosion in the gathering of journalists in Balkh.
The Ministry of Interior of the Islamic Emirate has confirmed that one person was killed and eight people were injured in this incident. Organizations supporting Afghan journalists have also confirmed that 15 journalists and media workers were wounded in this attack.
NAI – Supporting Independent Media Organisation has accused Balkh security authorities of failing to protect the lives of journalists.
“The attack on the lives of journalists shows that journalists do not have immunity in Afghanistan, and the relevant institutions do not pay the necessary attention to the issues of journalists”.
The United Nations and a number of organizations supporting Afghan media and journalists have also reacted to this attack and condemned it.
ENDS
