Afghan journalist denies reports of his killing, says Taliban attacked him

Some news agencies had reported that the Afghan journalist was killed by the Taliban.

Pic Courtesy: Twitter/@TOLOnews

New Delhi: An Afghan journalist has denied media reports of his killing by the Taliban and clarified that he was beaten while reporting in Kabul. Earlier on Thursday (August 26), some news agencies reported that the Afghan journalist was killed by the Taliban. 

Taking to Twitter, Tolo News reporter Ziar Khan Yaad recounted the incident and said that he was thrashed by the Taliban in Kabul's new city while reporting, adding that his camera and mobile have also been “hijacked”. 

Denying the reports of his death, Yaad tweeted, “I was beaten by the Taliban in Kabul's New City while reporting. Cameras, technical equipment and my personal mobile phone have also been hijacked. Some people have spread the news of my death which is false. The Taliban got out of an armored Land Cruiser and hit me at gunpoint.”

I still don't know why they behaved like that and suddenly attacked me. The issue has been shared with Taliban leaders; however, the perpetrators have not yet been arrested, which is a serious threat to freedom of expression. — Ziar Khan Yaad (@ziaryaad) August 26, 2021

Further, he added that the matter has been raised with the Taliban leaders. “I still don't know why they behaved like that and suddenly attacked me. The issue has been shared with Taliban leaders; however, the perpetrators have not yet been arrested, which is a serious threat to freedom of expression,” Yaad added. 

According to Tolonews, its reporter Ziar Yaad and his cameraman were beaten up by Taliban fighters while they were working in Kabul on a report. Since the Taliban captured Kabul on August 15, reports of several journalists being beaten or killed by the militant group have come to the fore. As per Reuters, the Taliban shot and killed a relative of a Deutsche Welle journalist while hunting for him last week. Deutsche Welle director general Peter Limbourg told French news agency AFP, "It is evident that the Taliban are already carrying out organised searches for journalists, both in Kabul and in the provinces. We are running out of time!" 

Earlier, Indian photojournalist Danish Siddiqui was killed by the Taliban in July. The Taliban had denied their role in the death of Siddiqui.