Afghan media boycotts Taliban coverage

KABUL-related reports until the group stopped targetting civilians and journalists.

The decision was taken after Zubair Hatami, a local TV cameraman who was seriously wounded during a Taliban suicide attack on a French-run school on December 11, succumbed to his injuries in hospital.

“The recent attacks prove the Taliban not only disregard the rules of war but also refuse to spare the civilians. Therefore, from today onwards, Afghanistan’s media will ban all Taliban-related reports,” they said in a statement.

All the media outlets were urged not to quote any Taliban spokesperson and the Afghan security forces personnel who lost their lives should be called “martyrs”.

Also on Sunday, the media association wrote a complaint to the Presidential Palace and demanded a serious investigation into the attack on the Istiqlal High School.

hg/mud