Taliban warns Afghan media not to promote 'immoral culture, U.S. propaganda and nudity' after suicide bomber kills seven journalists in attack on TV company bus

The Taliban today warned media organisations not to promote immorality and foreign culture after claiming responsibility for killing seven journalists at the country's most-watched television channel.

The suicide car bomb attack in Kabul yesterday was condemned by governments, human rights groups and rival news organisations as an assault on press freedom.

The Taliban said they targeted Tolo TV, Afghanistan's largest private television channel, because it was producing propaganda for the U.S. military and its allies.

In a statement, it said the company was attacked for 'promoting obscenity, irreligiousness, foreign culture and nudity.'

It added: 'Its workers were anti-jihad and anti-Islam elements trained by foreign intelligence toiling for the Americans.' 

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The Taliban warned media not to promote immorality and foreign culture after claiming responsibility for killing seven journalists in a suicide bomb attack (above) at the country's most-watched television channel

Two women were among the dead while at least 25 people were also injured in the blast, which happened in the Afghan capital Kabul close to the national parliament and government ministries

The Taliban openly threatened to target the station last year after it reported allegations of summary executions, rape and kidnappings by Taliban fighters during the battle for the city of Kunduz.

Although some details of those reports have been disputed, Tolo insists it was scrupulous in reporting all sides of the fighting, including allowing Taliban spokesmen a right of reply.

Tolo, which created Afghanistan's first 24-hour news channel, has won a reputation for fast, credible reporting in a media landscape that features scores of newspapers, broadcasters and online sites.

The warning comes after a Taliban suicide bomber killed seven people during a rush-hour attack on a minibus carrying television production workers near the Russian embassy in Kabul.

Two women were among the dead while at least 25 people were also injured in the blast, which happened in the Afghan capital Kabul close to the national parliament and government ministries.

It was the latest in a series of suicide attacks in Kabul that have coincided with renewed efforts to revive a peace process with Taliban insurgents that broke down in July. 

A suicide bomber has killed four people during a rush hour attack near the Russian embassy in Afghanistan 

The attackers, driving a car packed with explosives, targeted a minibus carrying employees of popular Afghan TV channel TOLO, just months after the Taliban declared the network a legitimate 'military target'.

The bus was taking employees home from the company's office in central Kabul when the attack took place, at around 5 pm local time. 

The bombing left some staff members burning inside the vehicle, one employee said, adding that the bus was mostly filled with behind-the-scenes workers from the channel's graphics and dubbing departments.

The loud explosion sent a plume of smoke rising in the sky, with ambulances and firefighters rushing to the scene which was littered with charred debris.

Rajab Noorzayi said his daughter Zeinab worked for Kaboora Productions and was on the bus at the time of the attack. 'I'm looking for her but the police say everyone has been taken to hospital,' he said.

The attackers, driving a car packed with explosives, targeted a minibus carrying employees of popular Afghan TV channel TOLO 

The bus was taking employees home from the company's office in central Kabul when the attack took place, at around 5 pm local time

The loud explosion sent a plume of smoke rising in the sky, with ambulances and firefighters rushing to the scene which was littered with charred debris

No one has yet claimed responsibility for the attack. The Taliban has threatened media organisations in the past. 

But Kabul police spokesman Basir Mujahid said the target of the attack on Darulaman Road remained unclear.

'Police are working to identify the victims of today's attack, but there was no military convey (in the area), they were all civilians,' Interior Ministry spokesman Sediq Sediqqi said on his Twitter page.

A Russian Foreign Ministry source said the attack was not directed at its embassy, according to Interfax news agency.

There were no immediate claim of responsibility.

Since the start of the new year, Kabul has seen at least six bomb attacks. On Sunday, a rocket landed near the Italian embassy in Kabul, wounding two security guards.

Envoys of Afghanistan, Pakistan, China and the United States met in Kabul this week to lay the ground for a negotiated end to 15 years of war, and urged the Taliban to join peace talks.

Afghan security forces remove a destroyed vehicle after a suicide attack near the Russian embassy in Kabul

No one has yet claimed responsibility for the attack., but the Taliban has threatened media organisations in the past

No Russian staff were hurt in an explosion, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

The embassy building suffered some minor damage, the ministry said, and staff will now increase security measures.  

The Taliban in October declared TOLO and 1TV, both privately run news stations as legitimate 'military targets'.

The group said the move was in response to their reports claiming that Taliban fighters raped women at a female hostel in Kunduz, after the group briefly captured the northern city in late September last year.

The Taliban rejected the reports as fabrications, saying they were examples of propaganda by the 'satanic networks'.

The attack, which highlights the growing dangers faced by journalists in Afghanistan, comes just two days after a second round of a four-country meeting in Kabul aimed at reviving talks with the Taliban.

The Taliban in October declared TOLO and 1TV, both privately run news stations as legitimate 'military targets'

Wreckage is seen at the site of a blast, in an area close to the Russian embassy in the west of the capital of Kabul, Afghanistan

Delegates from Afghanistan, Pakistan, China and the United States convened in the Afghan capital Monday for a one-day meeting seeking a negotiated end to the 14-year Taliban insurgency.

The first round of the so-called 'roadmap' talks was held in Islamabad last week as the four nations try to lay the groundwork for direct dialogue between Kabul and the Islamist group.

Taliban representatives were notably absent in both rounds and analysts caution that any substantive talks are still a long way off.

The Taliban has stepped up attacks on government and foreign targets in Afghanistan this winter, when fighting usually abates, underscoring a worsening security situation.

Observers say the intensifying insurgency highlights a push by the militants to seize more territory in an attempt to wrangle greater concessions during talks.

Pakistan - the Taliban's historic backers - hosted a milestone first round of talks directly with the Taliban in July.

But the negotiations stalled when the insurgents belatedly confirmed the death of longtime leader Mullah Omar, sparking infighting within the group.

The four-country group is set to hold the next round of discussions on February 6 in Islamabad.