Radio Station ‘Attacked’ in Kunduz

The radio station was attacked by an angry mob in the northern city of Kunduz on Friday.

An angry mob joined by the imam of a mosque attacked Zohra Radio, a local radio station in the city of Kunduz, on Friday afternoon, leaving damage to its equipment and building, head of the radio station, Mohsen Ahmadi, said.

He said the mob entered the station and broke its equipment.

The mob, who just returned from the Friday prayers also flocked towards two other radio stations in the city, Radio Kaihan and Radio Chiragh, but they were prevented by security forces, local sources said.

The motive behind the attack has been said to be the airing of music by the radio station during Friday prayers, but Ahmadi rejected this claim.

The incident comes after a string of targeted attacks against Afghan journalists in various parts of the country.

Radio Zohra’s broadcasting and program remained halted for several hours after the attack, Ahmadi said.

Afghan Journalists’ Safety Committee (AJSC) in a tweet condemned the attack on Zohra radio station in Kunduz.

“AJSC is shocked by the attack on Radio Zohra, a local Radio in Kunduz province today. We condemn the attack in the strongest terms and urge the government to undertake a thorough investigation so the perpetrators are brought to justice,” the organization said.

“The attack was incited by the Imam of a local mosque. AJSC is closely following the incident with local officials and more updates will be available soon,” said AJSC.

The AJSC said “protection of journalists and media is crucial, particularly at this stage where target killing of journalists has already constricted the space for press freedom and free flow of information.”