KABUL (Pajhwok Afghan News) — The assassination of an Afghan female journalist in eastern Nangarhar province on Thursday drew strong condemnation on national and international levels.

Gunmen shot the journalist, Malalai Maiwand, 26, a television and radio presenter with Enikas Radio and TV, as she was travelling in her car in Jalalabad to work. Her driver was also killed.

So far this year, 10 journalists and media workers have been killed in Afghanistan and Maiwand’s death followed the killing of two other well-known media personalities including Radio Azadi journalist Ilyas Daee.

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani strongly condemned the killing of Malalai and said attacks on Afghan journalists who work under tough circumstances to keep informed people about the situation in the country, region and the world were crimes against humanity and unforgivable. He said the followers of ignorance and brutality with such barbaric attacks wanted to limit the freedom of expression, which was right of the Afghans under the constitution and had been achieved with numerous sacrifices of the countrymen and journalists. He said the government was committed to protecting this right of people with the best of its ability.

The president ordered the authorities concerned to identify and bring to justice the perpetrators of the attack on Malalai and extended his condolences to the bereaved family and the organization where she worked.