Two employees of Radio Hamsada – a private broadcaster based in Taloqan, the capital of Takhar Province in northeastern Afghanistan, were shot dead by unidentified gunmen on Tuesday, according to a statement by the Afghan Journalists Safety Committee (AJSC).

Shafiqullah Arya, 28, was a journalist and he had worked for the station for six years while Rahimullah Rahmani, 26, was a presenter and had been working with Radio Hamsada for two years.  

According to the police, two gunmen entered the station during a commercial break and opened fired at the staff at about 6 pm. They fled after the attack.

Neither the police or Semin Hussaini, director of Radio Hamsada are aware of the motive behind the attack.

Radio Hamsada employs 11 people, including seven women, and has been broadcasting from 6 a.m. to midnight since 2007, according to Reporters Without Borders (RSF).

Nobody has yet claimed responsibility for the attack, which was the second killing of journalists in Afghanistan this year. Last month, journalist Javid Noori was killed by the Taliban his native province of Farah.

2018 was the deadliest year for the country’s media, with 15 killings of journalists being carried out by the Taliban and other Islamist groups.

Afghanistan is ranked 118th out of 180 countries in RSF's 2018 World Press Freedom Index. It is also among the top three most dangerous countries in the world for journalists – along with Syria and Mexico.