The Afghan media on Monday strongly reacted after at least 25 people including nine journalists were killed and many others wounded in a twin attack by Daesh terrorist group in Kabul City.

In a statement issued by the Afghanistan Federation of Journalists (AFJ) and the country’s media outlets, the attack against journalists was called “a war crime and an organized attack on the Afghan media”.

The statement further said that “despite today’s attack and other threats against journalists, the Afghan media is committed to providing information.”

Sediqullah Tawhidi, the chairman of Afghanistan’s Journalists safety committee, who was reading the statement at the site of the incident, called on the international agencies including the International Court of Justice (ICC) and the United Nations Security Council to initiate a probe in the incident.

He added that the attack in the heart of Kabul and in the Green Zone indicates a serious lack of security by the government.

“All Afghan journalists and media outlets will stand in solidarity and we will not surrender to such attacks or threats,” said Rahimullah Samander, the head of the Afghan Independent Journalists’ Association (AIJA).

Afghanistan’s Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC) also urged the international institutions to investigate the incident.

“The attack on civilians and civilian installations is a violation of the international humanitarian law and the law of armed conflicts and it needs serious investigation by relevant organizations, especially by the ICC,” said Dr. Sima Samar, the chairperson of AIHRC.

The government of Afghanistan also condemned the attack and said it was an attack on the humanity.

“This is a crime against humanity. The government of Afghanistan will make its efforts to ensure the safety of the Afghan people and Afghan journalists,” said Haroon Chakhansuri, a spokesman for President Ashraf Ghani’s Office.

In addition to the attack in Kabul, Ahmad Shah, a reporter for BBC Pashtu, was shot dead by unknown gunmen in Khost province today afternoon.

On April 25, Abdul Manan Arghand, who reported for Kabul News television network was shot dead by unknown gunmen in southern Kandahar province.

In 2017, the Afghan Journalists Safety Committee (AJSC) said that 20 journalist and media workers were killed in Afghanistan and called it the “bloodiest” year for journalists in the war-torn country.