A leading Afghan journalist was in hospital Wednesday after having acid sprayed in his face as he left his home in Kabul, officials said. Razaq Mamoon is a former television anchorman who regularly appears on talk shows as a political analyst and is also an author.
His comments are sometimes seen as hostile to Afghanistan's biggest ethnic group, the Pashtuns, which includes President Hamid Karzai and most Taliban leaders. He was attacked leaving his apartment in the Afghan capital on Tuesday, said Zemarai Bashary, a spokesman for the interior ministry, which handles police matters. Mamoon was rushed to hospital after suffering 10 percent burns to his face and hands, health ministry spokesman Kargar Noorughli said.
On Wednesday, the journalist was moved to a military hospital for security reasons, Noorughli added. Karzai in a statement condemned the "cowardly attack" in "the strongest terms" and said he had asked security officials to catch those responsible. Mamoon's books include one accusing a Pashtun politician and ex-government official of masterminding the Taliban's murder of former communist president Najibullah in 1996. The Taliban tortured and executed Najibullah on the day they took Kabul before displaying his mutilated body in a city square.
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