This article is from the source 'nytimes' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/12/world/asia/western-journalist-is-slain-in-afghanistan.html
The article has changed 9 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| Western Journalist Is Killed in Afghanistan | Western Journalist Is Killed in Afghanistan |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| KABUL, Afghanistan — A pair of gunmen shot a Swedish journalist on a crowded street in Kabul on Tuesday, in a rare assassination-style killing of a foreigner, thousands of whom have lived openly in the capital for more than a decade. | |
| The journalist was outside a restaurant talking to security guards about an article he was working on when a pair of men in what was described as traditional clothing walked up, said Col. Najibullah Samsour, a senior police official. At least one of the men drew a pistol and fired a single shot into the journalist’s face. The men then fled. | |
| The man was identified by the Swedish Embassy as Nils Horner, 51, a journalist for Swedish Radio who had both British and Swedish nationalities. | The man was identified by the Swedish Embassy as Nils Horner, 51, a journalist for Swedish Radio who had both British and Swedish nationalities. |
| The attack was the first time in years that a Westerner appeared to have been specifically targeted and killed in Kabul. The journalist’s death sent a fresh wave of concern through the sizable community of diplomats, journalists, aid workers and others who live and work in the Afghan capital. | |
| The city once had a thriving, albeit limited, expatriate social scene. There were a handful of restaurants and bars that catered almost exclusively to foreigners – Afghans are legally barred from drinking – and regular parties at the lightly guarded homes in which many Westerners here live. | The city once had a thriving, albeit limited, expatriate social scene. There were a handful of restaurants and bars that catered almost exclusively to foreigners – Afghans are legally barred from drinking – and regular parties at the lightly guarded homes in which many Westerners here live. |
| But the deteriorating security situation in many rural areas of Afghanistan and a number of high-profile attacks on Afghan officials, Western embassies and coalition forces in Kabul in recent years has forced many foreigners, especially diplomats, to live under tighter security restrictions. | But the deteriorating security situation in many rural areas of Afghanistan and a number of high-profile attacks on Afghan officials, Western embassies and coalition forces in Kabul in recent years has forced many foreigners, especially diplomats, to live under tighter security restrictions. |
| In January, Taliban suicide attackers struck a Lebanese restaurant, Taverna du Liban, that had been a mainstay of Kabul’s expatriate social scene. Of the 21 people killed, 13 were foreigners. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack, and said for the first time that they had specifically sought to kill Western civilians. | In January, Taliban suicide attackers struck a Lebanese restaurant, Taverna du Liban, that had been a mainstay of Kabul’s expatriate social scene. Of the 21 people killed, 13 were foreigners. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack, and said for the first time that they had specifically sought to kill Western civilians. |
| Since the attack on Taverna du Liban, other restaurants that are popular with foreigners have seen their business plummet. Many Westerners who had freely traveled around the city have either chosen to scale back their socializing or have been forced to do so by security restrictions put in place by the organizations for which they work. | Since the attack on Taverna du Liban, other restaurants that are popular with foreigners have seen their business plummet. Many Westerners who had freely traveled around the city have either chosen to scale back their socializing or have been forced to do so by security restrictions put in place by the organizations for which they work. |
| There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the shooting Tuesday. It was not clear whether the gunmen were specifically targeting the journalist who was killed, whether they mistook him for someone else or if they were simply looking for a foreigner to shoot and spotted him. | There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the shooting Tuesday. It was not clear whether the gunmen were specifically targeting the journalist who was killed, whether they mistook him for someone else or if they were simply looking for a foreigner to shoot and spotted him. |
| Colonel Samsour, the police official, said the journalist had arrived in Kabul only a few days earlier and was staying at a guesthouse. He was apparently working on a story about the attack on Taverna du Liban when he was shot. | Colonel Samsour, the police official, said the journalist had arrived in Kabul only a few days earlier and was staying at a guesthouse. He was apparently working on a story about the attack on Taverna du Liban when he was shot. |
| According to witnesses, the journalist was standing outside another Lebanese restaurant, Beirut, and was asking security guards there about a chef who survived the attack on Taverna du Liban. | According to witnesses, the journalist was standing outside another Lebanese restaurant, Beirut, and was asking security guards there about a chef who survived the attack on Taverna du Liban. |
| “When I came out of the restaurant, he was lying on the street. The Afghan translator and his driver were trying to help him and get him in the car,” said an employee of Beirut, who asked not to be identified because he was afraid the gunmen would return. | |
| “Police arrived minutes after the shooting and took him to the hospital,” the restaurant worker said. “The attackers had pistols and fled after the attack.” | “Police arrived minutes after the shooting and took him to the hospital,” the restaurant worker said. “The attackers had pistols and fled after the attack.” |
| Taverna du Liban, which has not reopened since it was attacked in January, is around the corner from where the shooting Tuesday took place. | Taverna du Liban, which has not reopened since it was attacked in January, is around the corner from where the shooting Tuesday took place. |
| The neighborhood, Wazir Akbar Khan, is among Kabul’s most expensive, and it is thick with foreigners. Three major news organizations have offices in the same general area. | The neighborhood, Wazir Akbar Khan, is among Kabul’s most expensive, and it is thick with foreigners. Three major news organizations have offices in the same general area. |
| The few previous fatal attacks on individual foreigners that have occurred in Kabul have targeted longer-term residents. In October 2008, a Briton and a South African working for the international courier company DHL were shot and killed by a disgruntled security guard. Earlier that same week, the Taliban claimed responsibility for the shooting of an aid worker who they said was trying to convert Afghans to Christianity. | The few previous fatal attacks on individual foreigners that have occurred in Kabul have targeted longer-term residents. In October 2008, a Briton and a South African working for the international courier company DHL were shot and killed by a disgruntled security guard. Earlier that same week, the Taliban claimed responsibility for the shooting of an aid worker who they said was trying to convert Afghans to Christianity. |