Taliban have murdered a radio director and kidnapped a journalist in Afghanistan

Local government officials in Kabul have confirmed the killing of Afghan journalist and radio station director Tophan Oman by a Taliban group, as well as the abduction of a journalist in the southern province of Helmand, in what is the latest attack in a long list of offensives against media workers in the country.

In addition to running the Paktia Ghag radio station, Oman was a member of NAI, a human rights group that supports media freedom and independence in Afghanistan. Thus, the head of NAI, Mujeeb Khelwatgar, declared that "Omar was killed by unidentified gunmen, he was a progressive man (...) we are targeted for working independently". 

According to the head of the human rights organisation, Mujib Khutjar, officials in Kabul suspected that the Taliban were behind the attack. Alongside this, a report by the NAI organisation noted that at least 30 journalists and media professionals were killed, injured or kidnapped by terrorist groups in Afghanistan this year.

Alongside this, in Helmand, the Taliban reportedly abducted local journalist, Nematullah Hemmat from his home in Lashkar Gah. "There is absolutely no clue where the Taliban have taken Hemmat, we are really in a state of panic," said Razwan Miakhel, director of the private television channel Gharghasht TV, where Hemmat worked.

A Taliban spokesman told Reuters that he had no information on "any of the incidents". However, the Taliban presence in Afghanistan is not a homogeneous presence as there are some 20 Taliban groups in the country, which makes it clear that the attack against the journalists could have been carried out by one of these groups, troops that do not necessarily have to be in communication with the different Taliban parties.

Of the 20 or so Taliban, some are part of splinter groups, while others have joined Daesh. There are also Taliban who continue to wage their own war and act independently, without consulting or notifying Pakistan, where the Taliban power is based and where the leader, Hibatullah Akhundzada, is located. In this way, it is difficult to encompass the Taliban in general, especially in order to reach peace agreements, as the delegation does not represent all the jihadist groups in Afghanistan and there are notable differences. 

Regarding the continued safety of journalists, a coalition of Afghan news organisations sent a letter to US President Joe Biden and the leadership of the House of Representatives urging them to grant Afghan journalists in danger special immigration visas to leave the country.

Helmand has been one of the areas hardest hit by the Taliban offensive, but the Afghan Defence Ministry spokesman has reported in recent hours that the army has managed to recapture significant sections of Lashkar-Gah, the provincial capital of Helmand, and that "operations are continuing, albeit slowly". In addition, the Afghan army has sent reinforcements to the northern province of Balkh, where the Taliban are reportedly storming the country's fourth largest city, Mazar-i-Sharif.

In recent days, the Taliban advance has become more than evident. Taking advantage of the withdrawal of international troops along with Washington's announcement that it was ending the US presence in the area, the Taliban have managed to take control of six provincial capitals, the latest being the city of Aybak, corresponding to the provincial capital of Samangan. Pending clarification of the details, there is talk of an agreed surrender according to the official Twitter account of Afghanistan's spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid.