The Taliban must conduct an immediate and impartial investigation into the
shooting of Mohammad Ali Ahmadi and hold the perpetrator to account, the
Committee to Protect Journalists has said.

On September 18, an unidentified man shot Ahmadi, a reporter and editor
with the privately owned national radio broadcaster Salam Watandar, in
Kabul, the capital, according to reports by Voice of America and his
employer, and a person familiar with the incident, who spoke to CPJ on the
condition of anonymity, citing fear of reprisal by the Taliban.

Ahmadi was traveling in a taxi van when a man sitting next to him asked
where he worked; when he said he worked for Salam Watandar, the man said
that outlet was an “American radio station,” pulled out a gun, and fired
several shots at Ahmadi, two of which struck him in the leg, according to
those sources. The gunman then fled the scene, according to Voice of
America.

Ahmadi has been hospitalized since the attack, and today was moved out of
an intensive care at the hospital, the person familiar with his case
said.

Separately, on September 7, Taliban fighters detained Morteza Samadi, a
freelance photographer, after he covered a protest in the western city of
Herat, as CPJ documented at the time. He remains in custody as of today,
according to a person familiar with the case who spoke to CPJ on the
condition of anonymity, citing fear of reprisal by the Taliban.

“The shooting of journalist Mohammad Ali Ahmadi is a test of the Taliban’s
commitment to justice: will they stand by their pledge to allow journalists
to do their jobs?” said Steven Butler, CPJ’s Asia program coordinator. “The
Taliban must conduct an immediate and impartial investigation into this
attack, hold the perpetrator to account, and ensure that members of the
press can work safely. The continued detention of journalist Morteza
Samadi by the Taliban is also unconscionable, and must end immediately.”

The person familiar with the attack on Ahmadi told CPJ that he suspected
members of the Taliban were behind it. No suspects have been identified,
according to those news reports. Nasir Maimanagy, managing director of
Salam Watandar, told Voice of America that the Taliban had denied
responsibility and promised to investigate.

Zabihullah Mujahid, the Taliban spokesperson in Afghanistan, and Suhail
Shaheen, the Taliban spokesperson in Qatar, did not respond to CPJ’s
requests for comment sent via messaging app