Afghanistan: Two foreign journalists detained in Kabul | Media News

British journalist Andrew North, a former BBC correspondent, and another foreigner held while on assignment with the UN refugee agency.

Two international journalists who were on an assignment for the UN refugee agency have been detained in the Afghan capital, the agency has said.

“Two journalists on assignment with UNHCR and Afghan nationals working with them have been detained in Kabul,” the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees agency (UNHCR) said in a tweet.

“We are doing our utmost to resolve the situation, in coordination with others,” it said, adding it would not provide any further information.

One of the journalists is Andrew North, a British former BBC correspondent who has covered Afghanistan for about 20 years and regularly travelled to the war-ravaged country to report on its deteriorating humanitarian crisis.

“Andrew was in Kabul working for the UNHCR & trying to help the people of Afghanistan,” his wife Natalia Antelava wrote in a tweet.

“We are extremely concerned for his safety & call on anyone with influence to help secure his release.”

Taliban government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said the authorities were looking into the matter.

“We have received information about this and are trying to confirm whether they have been detained or not,” Mujahid said.

There was no indication what prompted the detentions.

UN agencies employ journalists to report on their work around the world.

Since the Taliban took over the country in August, concerns have grown over a crackdown on dissent. The UN has repeatedly raised alarm over missing women’s rights activists in recent weeks.

Security has vastly improved since the Taliban defeated NATO-backed Afghan forces, but the hardline group has forcefully cracked down on journalists, with local reporters paying the heaviest price.

At least 50 Afghan media workers have been arrested or detained by the police or the Taliban’s intelligence agency, Reporters Without Borders said in a report earlier this month.

The arrests, often accompanied by violence, have lasted from several hours to nearly a week, the Paris-based press freedoms watchdog said.

Afghanistan has long been one of the world’s most dangerous countries for the news media.

Several journalists, including women, were killed in a spree of targeted attacks blamed on the Taliban in the build-up to their offensive to take back control.

Foreign nations have refused to recognise the Taliban-led administration, but have ramped up engagement as they try to avert a huge humanitarian crisis stemming from an economy stalled by sanctions and a halt in development funding since the group took over.

A Taliban delegation visited Geneva this week for talks with aid agencies and meetings with Swiss officials. The Swiss foreign ministry said it planned to call on the Taliban to respect human rights and international humanitarian law.