Radical groups the Taliban and IS continue to ‘directly’ target journalists, photographers, and media personnel working in Afghanistan. In last year alone, there were 132 cases of violence against media representatives reporting from the war-torn Afghan lands
@Kunal_Chonkar
New Delhi: Open and free journalism, voicing against the brazen attacks by radical groups the Taliban and Islamic State (IS), continues to be under attack in Afghanistan. The annual report published by the Committee to Protect Afghan Journalists shows a staggering 26 percent increase in violence against journalists in the war-torn country in 2020.
On February 4, the Committee to Protect Afghan Journalists (CPAJ) released its annual report on the general situation the journalists faced in the past year.
The report highlighted the 132 cases of violence against media representatives, assassinations of journalists and media workers that affected the work of the media outlets in Afghanistan. The report pointed out that the Taliban and IS have directly targeted the media workers.
According to the CPAJ,132 cases of violence against journalists including beatings, various forms of threats, theft, and ill-treatment with journalists and media workers were recorded in 2020 showing an increase of 26 percent compared to 2019, in which 105 cases of violence against journalists were recorded. The committee added that seven journalists and media workers were killed in 2020, with five killed in targeted assassinations and two in an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) explosion.
Ten more journalists were brutally assaulted, 47 were given death threats, 28 were mistreated, 13 were illegally dealt with, seven were kidnapped and two more journalists were robbed while carrying out their duties. The report directed that the Taliban and IS have been responsible for most of this violence.
Speaking to international media, CPAJ Chairman Najib Sharifi said that the violence against Afghan journalists is increasing as “the attacks and targeted assassinations of journalists by the end of 2020” created widespread panic among journalists and other media workers. He said that despite all the threats, journalists and the media workers bravely carried out their work of informing the public and fulfilling their mission in the sacred field of journalism. The report, released by the CPAJ, was released after the Reporters Without Borders recently said that Afghanistan is a dangerous country for journalists and the media.
Terrorists Target Power Pylons
Meanwhile, a new security issue trend has been witnessed in Afghanistan, with terrorist outfits targeting power pylons across the country. Recently, the capital city of Kabul welcomed 2021 with a massive power outage due to a technical problem in Uzbekistan’s electricity supply as well as regular damage to power pylons by militants. Afghanistan is mainly dependent on electricity imports from Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan for its power requirements, for which it spends nearly $300 million annually.
Kabul has often seen regular power outages particularly during the winter season, but the city plunged in almost complete darkness and had only 20 minutes of electricity on January 6, after a technical problem was reported at a power plant in Uzbekistan.
In his statement to the media, Afghanistan’s chief power supply company Da Afghanistan Breshna Sherkat (DABS) had said that the imported power from Uzbekistan had been reduced down to 150 MW from 300 MW, out of which Kabul was only getting 65 MW. “One of the main sources of electricity imported from Uzbekistan is the 900 MW thermal power plant. Regrettably, because of a technical glitch, they are not able to supply electricity to Afghanistan,” DABS technical adviser Mojtaba Hoshmand was quoted by the media.
As per reports, 77 percent of Afghanistan’s electricity is supplied through northern and western neighbours, because of which power transmission lines in the northern part of the country are crucial. As violence increased across the country and fierce clashes between the Afghan forces and the Taliban followed, some militants also damaged the power pylons. Fortunately, by 10 January, DABS announced that the imported power was back to 300 MW, and by 11 January it increased to 400 MW.
Sources close to the Afghan government said that the electricity in the northwest province of Badghis has been cut off due to the Taliban’s threats against the Breshna Electricity company administration. Member of the Badghis Provincial Council Mohammad Nasser Nazari was quoted saying that the power supply in Badghis was cut off from Turkmenistan on January 21.
“The Breshna administration had been forced to cut off electricity to the province due to security threats from the Taliban. The Taliban have threatened the Breshna company that if the power is not cut off they will blow up power poles,” Nazari added. Meanwhile, the Head of the Breshna company in Badghis Province, Shakur Besharat confirmed the Taliban security threat to the power stations and pylons. Besharat said that due to the Taliban security threats the flow of electricity from the area of Sang-e Atash has been cut off.
The Taliban continue to flex their terror might on the government. They are somehow trying to extort money from the electricity and telecommunications authorities through their threats, a senior Afghan official told TheNews21 on the phone.
