Two AP journalists badly injured by roadside bomb near Kandahar

Reporters Without Borders’s concern about the growing dangers for journalists in the run-up to the 20 August presidential election has been heightened by the news that two foreign journalists embedded with the US military were seriously injured by a roadside bomb today near the southern city of Kandahar. “What happened today is very regrettable and our thoughts go out to the families of the injured journalists,” Reporters Without Borders said. “The mounting violence will result in restrictions on the quantity and quality of news coverage. The Afghan authorities and all parties to the conflict should ensure that respect for media freedom is a priority.” Spanish photographer Emilio Morenatti and Indonesian cameraman Andi Jatmiko, both employees of the US news agency, the Associated Press, were travelling with a US military convoy when their vehicle was hit by roadside bomb. The AP said Jatmiko sustained leg and rib injuries while Morenatti sustained such severe leg injuries that a foot had to be amputated. The situation in Afghanistan is worsening steadily for journalists, who are either the direct target of press freedom violations (see the report on our fact-finding visit) or fall victim to the mounting violence. When working on their own, they are targeted by the Taliban or criminal groups but they are just as vulnerable when embedded with the NATO military forces. According to an independent NGO, the number of incidents involving IEDs (improvised explosive devices) increased to 828 in July. Ordinary civilians make up the bulk of the victims of the fighting, but a total of 17 journalists were reportedly killed since 2001.