Militants shot dead woman journalist in Afghanistan

Suspected militants shot dead an Afghan TV presenter and her driver in Jalalabad on Thursday in the latest attack on journalists in the war-ravaged country, EFE-EPA.

The fresh attack took place around 7 am the capital city of the eastern Nangarhar province when Malala Maiwand was on the way to office from her home, provincial governor's spokesperson Attaullah Khogyanai told EFE.

Khogyanai said the gunmen shot her dead along with her driver.

Maiwand worked as a presenter with Enakas, a television network in Nangarhar. She was also a vocal civil society activist.

President Ashraf Ghani condemned the "terrorist" strike.

"The attack on our journalists is an inhuman and unforgivable crime," Ghani said, adding terrorists could not silence the voice of free media.

He vowed that the government would do everything possible to "protect" and " promote" the freedom of speech. He directed the authorities to investigate the incident.

The killing is the latest in a string of attacks on journalists in Afghanistan.

Last month, local journalist Yama Siawash and two employees of the Afghanistan Central Bank were killed by suspected militants in a bomb attack on his vehicle near his residence in Kabul.

Days later, a blast in southwestern Afghanistan killed a journalist, Mohammad Elyas Dayee, who worked with Prague-based Radio Liberty.

A recent surge in violence has rocked Afghanistan amid peace talks between the Afghan government and Taliban insurgents in the Qatari capital, Doha.

The two sides, earlier this month, announced that they had reached a deal to move forward with bilateral peace talks, a breakthrough after months of negotiations in Doha.

The agreement allows the negotiators to work on the agenda and rules for talks and take critical issues up for discussions.

They are negotiating an end to the Afghan war raging since 2001 when the US invaded the country.

Washington had in February agreed for a full withdrawal of troops within 14 months in return for security guarantees that the Taliban would not use the Afghan soil for attacks against foreign countries, particularly the US.

Moreover, the Taliban also promised not to launch large-scale attacks in urban areas, including the district centers.