Abdul Ghafor Abed, a provincial reporter for the Taliban-controlled Radio Television Afghanistan, was killed in crossfire on October 15, 2025, during a battle between Taliban and Pakistani security forces in Zazai Maidan district, in the eastern border province of Khost.
His employer RTA said in a statement that Abed was deployed to Khost from nearby Paktika province to cover the cross-border fighting. Tawab Arman, a broadcast manager at RTA, was also injured in the clash.
While reporting, Abed and his TV crew strayed into the Pakistan-administered side of Parosai village, a community that straddles the border, where they came under fire from Pakistani troops, according to an Afghan journalist who spoke to CPJ on condition of anonymity, fearing Taliban reprisal. Abed died after a mortar shell exploded near their car, the journalist said. His colleagues — Arman, a driver, and senior TV manager — escaped back across the border. Arman was treated in hospital for wounds to his feet before being discharged, the journalist said.
Mustaghfar Grubaz, a spokesperson for the Taliban’s police command in Khost, said Abed was targeted by Pakistani forces in an attack. However, a Pakistani security source in Islamabad, who spoke to CPJ on the condition of anonymity, said the operation was directed against militant groups Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan and the Afghan Taliban, and authorities were unaware of any journalists or civilians being killed in the crossfire.
Pakistan’s Information Minister Attaullah Tarar and Taliban Deputy Spokesperson Hamdullah Fitrat did not respond to CPJ’s text messages seeking comment.