November 13th, Afghan officials said that the murdered journalist named Elyas Dayee (Elyas Dayee), was rushing to the press club in Rashkar Gah, capital of Helmand province, with his brother. A “magnetic” explosive device penetrated their car, and his brother, who was also a reporter, and two other people were injured.
Mohammad Ilyas Dayee Day working for Radio Asadi
The Associated Press AP reported that Dayi has been working in Helmand for more than a decade for the Afghanistan branch of the US government’s Radio Free Europe/Radio Freedom External Broadcasting Service.
For the time being, no one has claimed responsibility for the explosion that occurred in Lashkar Gah early in the morning. Taliban rebels have been attacking Rashkar Gah for nearly a month.
Sami Mahdi, head of the Kabul bureau of Radio Asadi, said in a tweet, “My colleague and dear friend Mohammad Ilyas Dayee was lost in a terrorist attack in Lashkar Gah this morning. He is a gentleman with his signature smile forever. This is terrible news.
Mohammad Ilyas Dayee, you will be loved by everyone.”
The United States Global Media Administration (USAGM), the parent organization of VOA, Radio Free Europe/Radio Free and other U.S. government-funded media networks, also condemned the attack. Michael Pack, CEO of the U.S. Global Media Administration, said, “This is a cowardly act and an attack on the universal principle of freedom of speech.” “We express our deepest condolences to Day’s family, and Asked to track down the murderer.”
Radio Asadi’s radio and Internet programs are said to cover more than 60% of the Afghan population.
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani condemned Dayi’s death as an “enemy” of Afghanistan, with the aim of “covering up their heinous crimes and silence the media.”
The US government also condemned the death of the Assadi Radio reporter. Ross Wilson, the acting US ambassador to Afghanistan, said in a tweet, “This is another attack on press freedom. These attacks on journalists must stop immediately.”
Last Saturday, a similar magnetic explosive device attack occurred in Kabul, killing three high-ranking officials of the Central Bank of Afghanistan, including a famous host of a TV political program.
No group claimed responsibility for the attack, but government officials believe that the Taliban launched the attack.
Conflict-affected Afghanistan continues to be the country with the most journalistic deaths in the world.
The Afghan capital Kabul and other areas have experienced a wave of unexplained high-profile assassinations in recent weeks. Educators, activists, journalists and government officials have all become targeted killings.
The government led by President Ghani continues to face increasing pressure from critics who claim that the government has failed to take security and intelligence measures to stop the violence.
