Ahmad Omid Khpalwak

Name: Ahmad Omid Khpalwak

Occupation: Journalist
Date of Birth: 1987
Date of Death: 2011
Site of the Incident: Uruzgan Province
Person/Group Responsible for the Incident: ISAF Forces

Life and Education:

The Afghanistan Journalists Center states: “Ahmad Omid Khpalwak was born in 1987 in Kabul, where he completed his primary and secondary education. He also studied in Tarinkot, the capital of Uruzgan province.” According to Pajhwok Afghan News, Khpalwak was killed on July 28, 2011, during a Taliban attack on the Radio-TV building in Uruzgan, when he was shot by ISAF forces. He is survived by a daughter.

Activities:

As reported by the Afghanistan Journalists Center, Khpalwak joined Pajhwok Afghan News in 2007 and also worked with the Pashto service of the BBC.

Challenges During His Career

The BBC Pashto section reported that one of Khpalwak’s colleagues shared how he occasionally discussed receiving threats from certain Taliban commanders. These threats stemmed from his refusal to cover specific Taliban attacks or incorporate their views into his reports. After one of these threats, when asked how he responded to the Taliban commander, Khpalwak reportedly said, “I told the commander, do whatever you want; you are not God.”