Elyas Daye, a local reporter with Radio Azadi, was killed on Thursday morning in a magnetic IED blast which occurred in Helmand province, TOLOnews reported. 

Omar Zwak, the spokesperson for Helmand governor, confirmed the incident that happened in PD1 district of Lashkargah city. The city has witnessed intense fighting between the government and the Taliban insurgent. 

Soon after his death, many of his journalist friends alleged he had been receiving many threats in recent times to stop his reporting. His death drew condemnation from various national leaders and foreign diplomats. 

Condemning the attack, Afghan chief peace envoy Dr Abdullah Abdullah called the attack “an attack on freedom” and called on authorities to investigate his death and protect journalists. 

Recently, Afghan journalists have seen an increase in threats they receive while covering the conflicts. Just a week ago, Yama Saiwash, a former TV presenter with TOLOnews, was also killed in a magnetic IED blast. 

On his death, Emran Feroz, a journalist who covers Afghanistan, tweeted, “Afghanistan- the graveyard of journalists.”