JULY 1, 2005
Posted July 18, 2005
Khaled al-Attar, Al-Iraqiya, Mosul
KILLED–CONFIRMED
Al-Attar, an Iraqi television producer for the state news channel Al-Iraqiya, was killed in Mosul after being kidnapped earlier in the day.
Ghazi al-Faisal, a supervisor at the Al-Iraqiya station in Mosul, said al-Attar helped produce a number of programs, including “How’s It My Business?” a satirical look at Iraqi government. Al-Attar also appeared on camera. Al-Faisal said that he was unaware of any threats to al-Attar, but noted that the station’s employees have been targeted.
Al-Faisal said that al-Attar was working when he was kidnapped shortly after noon. His bullet-ridden body was found later in the day near a local mosque.
Insurgents have increasingly targeted Al-Iraqiya and its journalists because of the station’s ties to the U.S.-supported Iraqi government. Insurgents have killed at least three other employees of the station and its affiliates since last year, and the offices of the station and its affiliates have repeatedly come under mortar attack.