Afghan journalist killed by gunmen

By Nathan Morley

This is the fifth journalist to be killed in the past two months.

Reports from the country say Bismillah Adil Aimaq was travelling home after visiting his parents when gunmen opened fire at his car.

Aimaq worked as the head of a local radio station and was also a human rights activist.

No one immediately claimed responsibility for the shooting.

Aimaq was the fifth journalist slain in attacks in the past two months.

The so-called Islamic State group, which has been blamed for a series of attacks in recent months, claimed it had killed another Afghan journalist earlier in December when assailants shot dead a TV anchorwoman.

In November, two journalists were killed in separate bombings.

The Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission said the targeted killings of Afghan journalists have negatively impacted reporting in the country and led to self-censorship in the media community.

The statement said a number of female journalists have left their jobs in the provinces due to ongoing threats.