Afghanistan Bars New York Times Reporter From Leaving Country -- Article Described Discussions About Establishing Interim Government --- KABUL—The Afghan government Tuesday barred a New York Times reporter from leaving the country, spotlighting the escalating risks for journalists here amid a tense political transition. -- Matthew Rosenberg, 40 years old, a correspondent in the Times's Kabul bureau, said he was summoned for questioning by the Afghan attorney general's office on Tuesday after the newspaper published an article that described discussions within the top echelons of the Afghan government about establishing an interim government. -- Matthew Rosenberg, 40 years old, a correspondent in the Times's Kabul bureau, said he was summoned for questioning by the Afghan attorney general's office on Tuesday after the newspaper published an article that described discussions within the top echelons of the Afghan government about establishing an interim government. -- Mr. Rosenberg, a U.S. citizen who has previously worked for The Wall Street Journal and the Associated Press, said he declined to reveal sources for the article to the attorney general's office. -- Basir Azizi, a spokesman for the attorney general's office, confirmed Mr. Rosenberg had been officially blocked from leaving the country. -- "He has been asked by us to give us his source but he refused, and tomorrow he will come to the attorney general's office with his legal counsel," Mr. Azizi said. "His article is completely against Afghanistan's national interests and manipulates public perceptions." -- The travel ban drew swift condemnation from press-freedom advocates. --- "We call on Afghan authorities to lift all travel restrictions on Matthew Rosenberg immediately," said Committee to Protect Journalists Deputy Director Robert Mahoney. "Denying journalists freedom of movement is nothing more than a form of intimidation when Afghanistan's democracy is most in need of independent political reporting." --- Afghanistan has a vibrant local press, but top Afghan officials and local power brokers occasionally intimidate and threaten journalists. - Read More, Nathan Hodge, WSJ, http://online.wsj.com/articles/afghanistan-bars-new-york-times-reporter-from-leaving-country-1408476151