Kabul: Ten journalists were among 31 people killed in a series of attacks in Afghanistan on Monday, including a BBC reporter and well-known photographer. Nine journalists were killed in suicide bombings in the capital, Kabul. Shah Marai of Agence France Presse was among a group of journalists who died when a bomber disguised as a TV cameraman detonated a second bomb at the site of an earlier explosion. Both attacks were claimed by Islamic State.
In a separate incident, Ahmad Shah, a 29-year-old reporter with the BBC's Afghan service, was shot dead by unknown gunmen in Khost province. Najib Sharifi, director of the Afghan Journalists Safety Committee, said Shah was on his way home when the attack took place.
The first blast happened at around at 8 am local time in the Shashdarak area of the city, where the US embassy and Afghan government buildings are located, prompting journalists to rush to the scene. The second explosion came as the attacker, posing as a cameraman, detonated explosives as journalists huddled around the scene. In a statement, ISIS said a "martyrdom brother" blew his explosive vest up among a group of "apostates" and killed and wounded a number of them.
In a tweet Monday, AFP's Global News Director, Michele Leridon, honored Marai for his "extraordinary strength, courage and generosity" and praised his "consummate professionalism" and "sensitivity" during his 15 years covering the Afghan conflict for the news agency. AFP said the death of its "treasured colleague" Shah Marai in Monday's twin blast in Kabul was "a devastating blow".
Leridon sent "condolences to the families of other journalists killed in this terrible attack". A further 45 people were injured in the two incidents, and have been taken to city hospitals, according to Ministry of Public Health spokesman Wahid Majroh. The agency said Marai joined AFP as a driver in 1996, the year the Taliban seized power, and in 2002 he became a full-time photo stringer, rising through the ranks to become chief photographer in the bureau. AFP Global News Director Michele Leridon released a statement on the death of the long-serving photographer.
