New York, March 18, 2004—U.S. troops in Iraq’s capital, Baghdad, today shot and killed a journalist from the United Arab Emiratesbased satellite news channel Al-Arabiyya and seriously wounded another.
Cameraman Ali Abdel-Aziz was fatally shot at a checkpoint in Baghdad. The AP reported that Al-Arabiyya correspondent Ali al-Khatib was also wounded.
In a separate incident earlier in the day, armed gunmen opened fire on a minibus carrying employees of the U.S.-funded Iraqi TV station Diyala, killing three and wounding several other passengers.
CPJ is investigating the circumstances surrounding these deaths. Journalists working in Iraq today are confronted by an assortment of hazards, including bomb attacks, shootings, carjackings, and holdups.
“On the anniversary of the U.S.-led war in Iraq, we are reminded of how dangerous a place Iraq remains for the media,” said CPJ Senior Program Coordinator Joel Campagna. “We are shocked and saddened by the deaths of our colleagues and are actively seeking more information.”
