jalalabad outrage rippled through afghanistan wednesday as funerals were held for three female media workers gunned down in the eastern city of jalalabad the latest assassinations to rack the warweary countryjournalists activists and judges have recently been ambushed by gunmen or killed by explosives attached to their vehicles as surging violence forces many into hiding with some leaving afghanistanthe killings have escalated since peace talks began last year between the afghan government and the taliban sparking fears that the insurgents are eliminating perceived opponentsthe three women were shot and killed in two separate attacks after they left the enikass tv station where they worked on tuesdayan islamic state affiliate later claimed responsibility for the murders saying its gunmen carried out the killings of what it called journalists working for one of the media stations loyal to the apostate afghan governmentfriends and family gathered in jalalabad to bury their loved ones as they pleaded for an end to the killingsmohammad nazif said his cousin sadia sadat was just 18 years old when she was killed tuesday and she had been working at the tv station over the past year to help support her familyher family was very happy for her to work in tv she had not received any warnings nazif told afpi dont know why the militants target such innocent girls i ask them to stop the targeted killing of media workersa colleague at enikass tv who spoke on condition of anonymity said the station was reeling from the murders saying the three victims were like familythree innocent girls were shot dead in the daylight in the middle of the city nobody is safe anymore said the colleaguein december another female employee working for enikass tv was murdered in jalalabad in similar circumstancesafghanistan has long been ranked as one of the most dangerous countries in the world for journalistsat least nine media workers have been killed since peace talks with the taliban started in september according to the afghan journalists safety committeeus officials have blamed the taliban for the wave of violence while the kabul government said the insurgents routinely hide behind is claims to cover their tracks the taliban has denied the charges