Afghan reporter accuses Taliban forces of assault

Kabul [Afghanistan], December 13 : An Afghan reporter has claimed that he was beaten and detained for six hours by the Taliban forces while covering a news story local media reported.
The reporter Sayed Rashed Kashifi has worked in various Afghan media outlets for over nine years and he is currently employed as a reporter for Kabul-based media, Tolo News reported.
"They tied my hands and took me somewhere, I do not know where it was. They started the investigation by saying 'where are you working?' and such questions. I replied, 'I am a reporter,'" Kashifi was quoted as saying.
He added that the Taliban forces on Saturday confiscated the equipment he was using to produce the report, Tolo News reported.
The journalist has urged officials to probe the incident.
"I am asking the government to investigate my case and to pay attention to providing security of journalists," said Kashifi.
Expressing concern over the incident, head of the National Association of Journalists, Masroor Lutfi, said "The beating of a journalist while covering news reports is a violation and a sign of imposed restrictions on access to information; this issue is worrying for the National Association of Journalists," said Masroor Lutfi.
Meanwhile, the Taliban-appointed Ministry of Interior (MoI) officials said they will assess the incident, and that the government is committed to preventing the harassment of journalists.
"The case of the Kabul Times' reporter, Sayed Rashed Kashifi, is under investigation; the Islamic Emirate is committed to the safety of journalists," Tolo quoted Ozam, deputy spokesperson of the MoI as saying.
The National Association of Journalists reported earlier that "at least 30 cases of violations against journalists" were recorded since the Islamic Emirate's takeover, and "90 per cent of the violations were carried out by Islamic Emirate forces."