Taliban commander took control of station, claims radio station chief

Afghanistan's Radio Khyber Nawekht has claimed that a Taliban commander reportedly stormed into the radio compound and took control after the fall of the previous government in the country.  "A local commander took possession of the compound on the first day the Taliban came to power. Moreover, the Taliban have threatened the journalists with death, and the operation has been suspended," Khyber said, ANI reported, quoting Tolo News.

Laghman province's Radio Khyber Nawekht is a local radio station. It has been on the air for a long time. According to ANI reports, the radio station could be heard in some regions of Nangarhar, a neighbouring province. This comes after claims that over 150 media outlets in Afghanistan had shut down in the last two months.

"The transmission has ceased, and our colleagues are facing many hardships," said Salahuddin Ahmadzai, a journalist who works at the radio station, ANI reported. According to ANI reports quoting Tolo News, the local commander has yet to offer information, but the interior ministry has confirmed that an investigation is ongoing.

Taliban's Draconian Media Regulations

Taliban has previously issued 11 New Rules for the Media in an attempt to further control and repress media freedom in Afghanistan. These restrictions include prohibitions on publishing themes that are anti-Islamic or disparaging to national figures, as well as for instructions for journalists to write news reports in collaboration with the government's media office. There has been a shift in the programming shown on private television networks since the Taliban assumed power. Programmes intended to please the Taliban administration have replaced critical news briefings, political debates, entertainment, music performances, and foreign dramas.

The Taliban also attacked journalists covering protests against the 'new administration' founded after the democratically elected government was deposed earlier this month. Instead of honouring and respecting human values, the gang continues to violate the basic human rights of journalists by harassing, torturing, and killing them. The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has also requested that the Taliban stop detaining journalists in Afghanistan immediately and enable the media to function freely and without fear of retaliation.

Image: AP