Afghanistan journalist assassinated by unknown assailants

Al Jazeera News Network said its mourning the death of a slain freelance Afghanistan-based journalist shot dead by gunmen while traveling to a nearby mosque for prayers.

Nekzad is the third journalist to be killed in the war-ravaged nation in two months [File: Rahmat Gul/AP Photo]

Authorities have identified the slain cameraman as Rahmatullah Nekzad. According to police, Nekzad was killed in his hometown in the province of Ghazni.

Gunmen assassinated the camera-operator, who also often freelanced for The Associated Press, with what provincial police describe were silenced pistols.

The attackers' identity at this point is unknown. Nekzad becomes Afghanistan's third journalist to be killed in a targeted attack in the last two months.

In a statement following Nekzad's death, Al Jazeera PR condemned the killing, saying they are "shocked at the news of the killing” and strongly condemned “any act of violence against journalists and attempts to silence them."

The last journalist to face such a gruesome end is female news anchor and activist Malalai Maiwand who was shot dead, earlier this month, along with her driver by ISIL fighters in Jalalabad.

A month before, former radio reporter turned bank advisor Aliyas Dayee was killed by a bomb attached to his vehicle, just meters away from his home in Lashkar Gah city. By: Niza Nondo