Journalist Killed in Iraq

Giuliana Sgrena's rendition of what happened to her a few days ago is troubling. While the President claims to be initiating a comprehensive investigation, the U. S. already repudiating her story. While being a war correspondent is inherently dangerous, a disturbing pattern is emerging as journalists die by U.S. bullets. Below is a listing (partial I believe) of those who have died:

Kamaran Abd al-Razaq Muhammad
6 April 2003, translator working for BBC; killed in northern Iraq in a "friendly fire" incident.Apologies for so little info and no photo. RIP.

Tariq Ayoub
8 April 2003, Aljazeera TV channel correspondent; killed in a US air strike at Aljazeera office in Baghdad. This tribute is from his colleagues. "The blood of Tariq was fair game, as was the blood of other journalists working for Al-Jazeera and the Abu Dhabi network; both were bombed at the same time-followed by an attack on journalists in the Palestine Hotel, an attack that occurred probably because of its name. The message we take from Tariq's killing makes CENTCOM spokesman Vincent Brooks' statement seem quite ironic: "We bomb locations with precision, and we pay attention to locations where journalists are present." In reality, Tariq's killing demonstrates that the U.S. military preferred that Tariq and journalists like him ride on the back of an American tank, follow the troops around, eat and drink with them, and write in line with U.S. military desires. His death is a message directed to the remaining journalists and reporters who are still in the field, who are giving alternate perspectives on what is propagated by Bush, Rumsfeld, and others from the U.S. administration. Ayoub left a wife and a one-year-old daughter. In an interview with the station on the day of his death, his wife Dima said: "Eventually everyone will forget him, but we will never forget him. He is with God now." RIP.

Taras Protsyuk
8 April 2003, Reuters cameraman; killed when a US tank opened fire on Palestine hotel. Protsyuk is survived by his wife and an eight-year-old son. Taras, a Reuter's journalist from Ukraine, died instantly when a US tank shelled the Baghdad hotel where he was staying on April 8 2003. The attack came during heavy fighting between advancing US forces and Iraqis in the area around the Palestine Hotel, which was the base for dozens of media workers. Spanish cameraman Jose Couso was also killed in the attack. Three others, all Reuters journalists, were wounded. RIP


Jose Couso
8 April 2003, cameraman for Spain's Telecinco TV; killed along with fellow journalist Taras Ayoub, when a US tank opened fire on Palestine hotel. Couso, 37, worked for the Spanish television channel Tele 5. He was wounded in the attack on the 15th floor of the Palestine Hotel - the Reuters suite where many journalists were known by the US to be staying - and later died from his injuries. RIP.

Mazin Dana
18 August 2003, a Palestinian cameraman with Reuters; shot dead by US soldiers while filming outside Baghdad's Abu Gharaib prison. According to Mazin's colleague Nael al-Shyoukhi, US troops approached the team on Sunday while they were filming and opened without warning fire-hitting Mazen in the chest. Video footage captured by Mazen minutes before his death records the incident and shows that there were no disturbances in the area at that time. He bled to death on the scene. RIP.


Ali Abdul Aziz
18 March 2004, cameraman for Dubai-based al-Arabiya TV channel; shot dead by US troops in central Baghdad. Ali, a journalist for al-Arabiya television, died from wounds after being shot by US soldiers late Thursday, a correspondent from the Dubai-based satellite news channel said. "Ali al-Khatib died 30 minutes ago" in hospital, said Ahmad Salah, an al-Arabiyah correspondent, at around 9:30 am (0630 GMT). "Khatib was shot in the head", Salah said, his voice choked with tears. RIP.

Ali al-Khatib
18 March 2004, al-Arabiya TV channel journalist in Iraq; shot dead by US troops in central Baghdad. His colleague Ali Abdul Aziz, a cameraman with the same station, was shot dead in the incident, which occurred near the Burj al-Hayat hotel in central Baghdad, the target of a rocket attack Thursday night. "My brother had asked US forces if they could film the Burj al-Hayat hotel and they told him it was fine. Moments later, a Volvo did not stop at the checkpoint and the soldiers opened fire," said the cameraman's brother Haidar Abdel Aziz. "My brother and his colleague wanted to leave, they ran to their car and an armoured vehicle opened fire on them." Both Abdul Aziz and Khatib were Iraqi nationals. RIP.

http://www.kirkbytimes.co.uk/antiwaritems/journalists_killed_iraq.html