10 journalists including AFP photographer among dozens killed in Afghan attacks

Ten journalists including Agence France-Presse's chief photographer in Kabul, Shah Marai, were among dozens killed in multiple attacks across Afghanistan today, in the deadliest day for the country's media since 2001.

Two suicide blasts in Kabul killed 25 people including Marai along with at least eight other journalists, in what Reporters Without Borders said was the most lethal single attack on the media since the fall of the Taliban.

The attack, claimed by the Islamic State group, was condemned internationally by groups including the United Nations and the European Union, and spurred an outpouring of grief among Afghan journalists, many of whom took to Twitter to post tributes to colleagues and friends.

Kabul police spokesman Hashmat Stanikzai said the second explosion came minutes after the first and targeted reporters at the scene.

"The bomber disguised himself as a journalist and detonated himself among the crowd," he said.

The interior ministry confirmed the number of deaths and said 49 people had been wounded amid fears the toll could rise.

Later Monday the BBC confirmed that one of its reporters, 29-year-old Ahmad Shah, was killed in a separate attack in eastern Khost province, near the border with Pakistan. The broadcaster did not immediately give further details.

In a third attack 11 children were killed and 16 people wounded, including foreign and Afghan security force members, when a suicide attacker exploded his bomb-laden car near a convoy in the southern province of Kandahar, officials said.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for that attack, which brought the total number of people killed across the country to 37.

Journalists from Radio Free Europe and Afghan broadcasters Tolo News and 1TV, as well as others, were among those killed in Kabul, Reporters Without Borders said.

"This tragedy reminds us of the danger that our teams continually face on the ground and the essential role journalists play for democracy," said Fabrice Fries, CEO of AFP.

Marai -- who was buried later Monday -- joined AFP as a driver in 1996, the year the Taliban seized power, and began taking pictures on the side, covering stories including the US invasion in 2001.

In 2002 he became a full-time photo stringer, rising through the ranks to become chief photographer in the bureau.

His versatility and easy camaraderie was demonstrated in a message moments before the second attack, in which he reassured an AFP video colleague who was stuck in traffic and could not reach the scene.

"No worry man, I am here," he said by WhatsApp, adding that he was shooting video in addition to taking photos.

He leaves behind six children, including a newborn daughter.

"This is a devastating blow for the brave staff of our close-knit Kabul bureau and the entire agency," said AFP Global News Director Michele Leridon, describing him as a "treasured colleague".

"We can only honour the extraordinary strength, courage, and generosity of a photographer who covered often traumatic, horrific events with sensitivity and consummate professionalism," Leridon said.

"We also send our condolences to the families of other journalists killed in this terrible attack."