Taliban conducting 'organised searches' for journalists, kill DW scribe's relative

Taliban fighters are in the quest for a Deutsche Wella (DW) journalist in Afghanistan and have even shot dead a member of his family, Germany’s international public broadcaster reported. Ever since the fall of Kabul, the Sunni insurgents have been looking for him across Afghan territory, however, CNN said that the editor has now relocated back to Germany. On Friday, it was reported that apart from the killing of one of his relatives, the Taliban also severely injured another and sent the remaining members on the run.

"The killing of a close relative of one of our editors by the Taliban yesterday is inconceivably tragic, and testifies to the acute danger in which all our employees and their families in Afghanistan find themselves," Deutsche Welle Director General Peter Limbourg was quoted as saying in an article published on the broadcaster's website on Thursday.

Throughout their five year regime, the Sunni Pashtuns ruled with an iron fist and imposed an ultra-austere brand of rules. Not only they barred photography and filmmaking but also killed many foreign journalists on the ground. Highlighting the same, Limbourg asserted that it was “evident” that the Taliban was conducting “organised searches” for journalists, both in Kabul and other provinces. “We’re running out of time,” he said.

Killing of Danish Siddiqui 

Last month, the extremist group killed celebrated Indian photojournalist and Pulitzer prize winner Danish Siddiqui in Kandahar. According to reports, the Indian journalist was covering the ongoing clashes in Afghanistan over the last few days. Siddiqui was embedded with the Afghan security forces who are currently fighting the Taliban. As per sources, the incident occurred in Afghanistan's Spin Boldak district in Kandahar. 

Reports further added that the forces Siddiqui was travelling with were ambushed by the Taliban terrorists. However, the injured forces still continued their operation. Even so, the Taliban attacked the Afghan forces again on Friday morning in which Siddiqui was killed. Following his demise, Union Minister Anurag Thakur condoled his death and commended his work. In addition, Thakur also remarked that Siddiqui had won the Pulitzer Prize for Photography. Apart from Thakur, Afghanistan’s Ambassador to India, Farid Mamundzay, alsocondoled Siddiqui's death. Calling the photojournalist as a friend, Mamundzay recollected that he had met Siddiqui two weeks before he left for Kabul. 

Image: AP