Afghanistan: 17 journalists killed in 2018

By Munira Abdelmenan Awel</p> <p>ANKARA (AA) – Afghanistan has been named the most dangerous country for journalists, with a death toll of 17 journalists and media workers in 2018.</p> <p>According to the Afghan Journalists Safety Committee (AJSC), the death toll was documented in 121 violence cases against journalists and media workers.</p> <p>&quot;Similar to 2017, ISIS [another name for Daesh terror group] and the Taliban are responsible for the majority of cases of violence, namely 50 cases,&quot; the AJSC report read.</p> <p>Out of total cases, 11 were committed against female journalists and media workers.</p> <p>Besides death, many journalists faced risks of injury, threats, temporary detention and abduction in Afghanistan, as well as difficulty in accessing information, according to the report.</p> <p>In 2018, a total of 34 media outlets stopped to operate in the country for various reasons.</p> <p>The 2018 death toll showed a slight decline, versus the figure of 20 in 2017.</p> <p>The violence incidents also declined last year in Afghanistan, compared to 169 cases reported in 2017.