Taliban assassinates Afghan government’s media information centre chief

The Taliban on Friday assassinated Dawa Khan Menapal, the chief of Afghanistan’s Government Information Media Centre in Kabul, AP reported. Menapal handled the government’s interactions with local as well as foreign media.

Menapal “was killed in a special attack of the Mujahideen” and was “punished for his deeds”, Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said.

Interior Ministry spokesperson Mirwais Stanikzai confirmed Menapal’s death, and added that “savage terrorists killed” him during Friday prayers, Reuters reported. “He [Menapal] was a young man who stood like a mountain in the face of enemy propaganda, and who was always a major supporter of the [Afghan] regime,” Stanikzai said.

Since United States President Joe Biden announced in April that he would pull back troops from Afghanistan, the Taliban have taken control of several districts in the country.

The latest attack came days after the Taliban warned that they would target administrative officials as retaliation against increased air strikes, AFP reported.

On August 3, the Taliban claimed responsibility for an attack on the house of Afghanistan’s defence minister, BBC reported. The minister, Bismillah Khan Mohammadi, was not at home when the attack took place, and his family was evacuated from the spot. However, the attack left eight people dead.

Foreign military forces are due to complete their withdrawal from Afghanistan by August 31. Around 650 United States service members are expected…

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