Iraqi TV Journalist Killed by Car Bomb

Wednesday March 7, 2007 11:46 PM

Associated Press in Baghdad

Guardian Unlimited

BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - An Iraqi TV cameraman working for a privately owned Shiite station was among 22 people killed Wednesday in a car bombing at a police checkpoint in south Baghdad, his station said.

Youssef Sabri, who worked for the Biladi satellite station, was filming Shiite pilgrims marching to the holy city of Karbala from the back of a police truck when the blast occurred, said Ahmed Abdul-Qader, a colleague at the station.

Twelve police commandos also died, the U.S. military said.

``Some hours before this disaster, he was very happy that he was getting paid,'' Abdul-Qader said. ``Really, it is so hard to express what had happened.''

The Iraqi Journalists Union expressed regret over Sabri's death and called on combatants to respect journalists' neutrality in the conflict.

Since the Iraq war began in 2003, at least 95 journalists have died in the conflict, according to the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists. Seventy-four were Iraqis.

The figure, posted on the committee's Web site, did not include Sabri.

Guardian Unlimited © Guardian Newspapers Limited 2006

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