Police investigating stabbing death of well-known Afghan journalist

Police investigating Afghan journalist’s murder

KABUL, Afghanistan — Police in Afghanistan said Monday they were investigating the stabbing death of a well-known Afghan journalist.

The body of Sayed Hamid Noori was found outside his Kabul home Sunday night after he was attacked by an unknown assailant.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai issued a statement ordering authorities to spare no effort in bringing Noori’s killers to justice. Noori had been a former state television news anchor, as well as a member of Afghanistan’s Association of Independent Journalists.

Reporters in Afghanistan face pressure from the government, local politicians and Taliban insurgents, all of whom look askance at negative reporting. At least 20 Afghan journalists have been killed and 200 physically assaulted in the past decade, with scores more leaving the profession or fleeing the country amid threats to their safety.