A number of journalists on Thursday condemned the attack on Elyas Dayee, a Radio Azadi reporter, who was killed in a magnetic IED blast in the southern province of Helmand.

The journalists said they are concerned about their safety. 

Hours after his murder, journalists gathered in Lashkargah, the center of Helmand province, and also in Kabul to express their concerns about what they described it the systematic murders of Afghan journalists.

Dayee’s brother was wounded in the blast.

“Violence has increased against journalists since 2001. The southern zone has given a lot of sacrifices. Every year, we have martyrs. This year, too, we had some incidents,” said Sami Ghairatmal, head of NAI media organization in the south.

“Those who directly or indirect target the journalists indicate that such elements do not believe in freedom of the press, therefore they are put the life of the journalists to danger,” said Jawed Tanvir, a journalist in Helmand.

This comes six days after Yama Siawash, a former TOLOnews presenter, was killed in a similar blast in Kabul.

Dayee worked for 12 years in the war fronts in several regions of Afghanistan.

He was 34 years old. He was also awarded the Afghanistan Courageous Journalist of the Year Award in 2016.

Dayee is survived by his wife and his daughter.

Dayee’s family members asked the Afghan security agencies to find the perpetrators behind the attack and bring them to justice.

“He was an outstanding man. He was trying to raise the voice of the people,” said Baryalai Rahimi, a journalist in Helmand.

This comes a day after Afghanistan’s First Vice President Amrullah Saleh in a Facebook post said that there is a possibility of more attacks on Afghan civil society institutions.