An American photojournalist and a translator were killed in Afghanistan while following Afghan troops in Southern Afghanistan yesterday.

David Gilkey, photojournalist working for American National Public Radio NPR, and Afghan translator Zabihullah Tamanna were travelling with the Afghan troops, when their vehicle was struck by an 82mm rocket during a Taliban ambush, Shakil Ahmad Tasal, a spokesman for the Afghan army's 205th Atal Corps told Reuters.

The attack also killed the vehicle’s driver, an army soldier. The attack occurred on Sunday afternoon, around 2:30pm local time.

Gilkey was an award-winning reporter, covering Afghanistan and other conflict zones.

Afghanistan is among the most dangerous countries for media, with deaths of at least 27 journalists since 1992, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists.

Killings of journalists have been frequent in conflict areas. Sagal Salad, a female radio journalist working for state-run radio station was shot and killed in Somalia, also on Sunday.

She was shot by three gunmen suspected of belonging to Somalia's Islamist al Shabaab group in Mogadishu, near a college campus where she studied.

Salad was rushed to the hospital but she passed away on the way, Major Nur Ali, a police officer, said.

Somalia ranked 172nd out of 180 countries in the 2015 Reporters Without Borders press freedom index.