Local sources in Khost, southeast of Afghanistan, confirm that the Taliban have arrested four local media officials in this province. According to local sources, officials of a television network and three private local radios were arrested by Taliban fighters on Tuesday, May 9, following a summons from the Taliban’s morality enforcers and were taken to an unknown location.
Based on the information provided by sources, the four individuals were detained for broadcasting Eid programs and for going against the orders of the Taliban’s morality enforcers in Khost.
Meanwhile, sources also confirm that a media official of the Gharghesht television network and three private local radios, including Chinar, Wolus Ghazh (People’s Voice), and Nan (Taday), were also arrested by the Taliban.
The detention of local journalists in Khost by the Taliban is not unprecedented. Earlier, a local journalist was also detained by the group’s fighters in the province and was released after three months in prison.
The arrest of officials from four local media outlets in Khost by the Taliban comes as the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) expressed concerns in a report released today about the increased restrictions on free media in Afghanistan over the past three months of this year.
