Khalil Jibran, a senior journalist with Khyber News, was fatally shot by unidentified gunmen near his home in Landi Kotal, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, police reported on Wednesday.
Jibran was targeted when he returned to his residence with his friend, Sajjad Advocate, in the Mazreena area, close to the Landi Kotal Police Station.
According to District Police Officer (DPO) Khyber, Salim Abbas, the journalist’s car broke down near his home, enabling the attackers on motorcycles to surround him. They forcibly removed him from his vehicle and shot him, resulting in his immediate death, while Sajjad sustained injuries. The assailants then fled the scene, and Jibran’s body was transferred to a local hospital for an autopsy.
DPO Abbas noted that Jibran, who also served as the former president of the Landi Kotal Press Club, had previously received terrorist threats.
Following the murder, KP Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur ordered a swift investigation to apprehend the murderers. KP Governor Faisal Karim Kundi also expressed his condemnation of the murder.
The Association of Electronic Media Editors and News Directors (AEMEND) has vehemently condemned the attack and called on the KP chief minister and the federal interior minister to ensure justice for Jibran. The association highlighted the ongoing risks faced by journalists, including torture, abductions, and threats.
