Freelance
January 17, 2012, in Shabqadar, Pakistan
Two gunmen killed broadcast reporter Aatif outside a mosque in Shabqadar, about 15 miles (25 kilometers) north of Peshawar, according to news reports. A correspondent for the private TV station Dunya News, Aatif also worked for Deewa Radio, a Pashto-language service of the U.S. government-funded Voice of America.
The assailants struck as Aatif was leaving a mosque near his home after evening prayers. He was shot several times, and his attackers fled on motorcycles, police told reporters. Wounded in the head, Aatif died of his injuries at Lady Reading Hospital in Peshawar. An imam at the mosque was also injured in the attack, according to news reports.
Taliban spokesmen spoke to several news outlets, taking responsibility for the killing. Ihsanullah Ihsan told The Associated Press that Aatif had been warned "a number of times to stop anti-Taliban reporting, but he didn't do so. He finally met his fate."
Mukarram Khurasani, a Taliban spokesman in the Mohmand district of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas, issued a broader threat in comments made to Bloomberg News: "Our announcement from today is that all reporters of Voice of America are our targets and should resign. Otherwise we will kill them."
Facing repeated threats from militant groups, Aatif had recently relocated with his family from Mohmand, colleagues told reporters. Several months earlier, in response to the threats, the journalist had moved to Shabqadar, in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
Medium: Radio, Television
Job: Broadcast Reporter
Beats Covered: Crime, Human Rights, Politics
Gender: Male
Local or Foreign: Local
Freelance: Yes
Type of Death: Murder
Suspected Source of Fire: Political Group
Impunity: Yes
Taken Captive: No
Tortured: No
Threatened: Yes
Related Articles:
- Pakistan's Abbas: Journalists hostage to 'power of gun', February 7, 2012
- Mukarram Khan Aatif, a fearless reporter and friend, January 19, 2012
- Gunmen kill Pakistani journalist who reported on Taliban, January 17, 2012
