By Zoraiz Klasra
Islamabad:
Islamabad: In a latest act of violence against journalists in Afghanistan, another journalist came under attack in late at night on Thursday. According to official statement of incumbent government of Afghanistan, unidentified gunmen on a motorcycle hannel.
Identified as Ali Reza Sharifi, Kabul based local journalist working for Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting, luckily escaped assassination bid. However, he received bullet wounds and was rushed to hospital nearby.
“He is safe now. We are trying to figure out who was behind the attack,” Taliban’s deputy spokesman Bilal Karimi told Islamabad Telegraph on telephone.
“We are investigating to find the perpetrator,” he said. No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack.
The assault comes just days after an Afghan media watchdog reported more than 30 instances of violence and threats of violence against Afghan journalists over the last two months, with nearly 90 per cent committed by the Taliban.
Giving detail of incident to Taliban authorities, victim said he was on the way to home when two gunmen riding a motorcycle opened fire on his car.
“It was an attempt to assassinate me. Gunmen sprayed a dozen of bullets from an automatic weapon. I can’t believe I am alive,” he told Taliban authorities adding that “shredded window pieces hit his left eye”.
TV footages Sharifi’s car shared on social media show at least two bullet holes on one of the car’s windows. “They started firing from the front and I escaped to the back seat,” he said.
Since the withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan in late August, three journalists have been killed in Afghanistan.
