View all newsletters
Sign up for our free email newsletters

Fighting for quality news media in the digital age.

  1. Archive content
September 16, 2004updated 22 Nov 2022 12:05pm

Iraq: killing fields for journalists

By Press Gazette

The Iraq conflict passed a grim landmark this week when correspondent Mazen al-Tumeizi became the 52nd media worker to lose his life covering the conflict, according to a tally kept by the International News Safety Institute.

An additional journalist, Fred Nerac, is still listed as missing following the incident on March 22, 2003, in which ITN correspondent Terry Lloyd and translator Hussein Osman were killed.

They were the first casualties in a conflict which over 17 months has proved one of the most dangerous for journalists in history. The International Federation of Journalists listed 63 journalists killed during the 21-year Vietnam conflict and 58 dead during the five-year Algerian civil war.

The INSI list includes 38 journalists and 14 support workers, such as translators and drivers.

THE NEWS MEDIA DEATH TOLL 22 MARCH 2003 – 26 AUGUST 2004

22 March 2003

Content from our partners
MHP Group's 30 To Watch awards for young journalists open for entries
How PA Media is helping newspapers make the digital transition
Publishing on the open web is broken, how generative AI could help fix it

Terry Lloyd, ITN Hussein Osman, ITN Lloyd, a veteran British correspondent, and his Lebanese translator Osman were killed outside Basra, caught in a firefight between US and Iraqi forces. Their French cameraman Fred Nerac remains listed as missing, believed dead.

A fourth member of the ITN team, cameraman Daniel Demouster, escaped.

Paul Moran, ABC Australia Australian freelance cameraman Moran, 39, died instantly in a suicide bomb attack at a checkpoint in Sayed Sadiq in Kurdish-controlled northern Iraq near the Iranian border.

31 March 2003

Gaby Rado, ITN Foreign affairs correspondent for ITN, was found dead in the car park of his hotel in Sulaymaniyah in northern Iraq after apparently falling from the roof.

2 April 2003

Kaveh Golestan, BBC An Iranian freelance cameraman on assignment for the BBC, was killed in northern Iraq when he stepped on a land mine after getting out of his car.

3 April 2003

Michael Kelly, Atlantic Monthly Atlantic Monthly editor-at-large and Washington Post columnist, Kelly was killed in a Humvee accident while travelling with the US Army’s 3rd Infantry Division.

His death was the first among the 600 journalists participating in the Pentagon’s embedding programme.

6 April 2003

Kamaran Abdurazaq Muhamed, BBC An Iraqi Kurdish translator working for BBC in Northern Iraq died after being hit by an American bomb.

David Bloom, NBC NBC News correspondent David Bloom died of a pulmonary embolism while travelling with the US 3d Infantry Division south of Baghdad.

7 April 2003

Christian Liebig, Focus Magazine Julio Anguita Parrado, El Mundo Liebig and Parrado, died in an Iraqi missile attack south of Baghdad along with two US soldiers.

8 April 2003

Tareq Ayyoub, Al Jazeera Ayyoub from Jordan was killed when the network’s office on the bank of the Tigris River was hit by US fire.

Jose Couso, Telecinco Taras Protsyuk, Reuters Protsyuk, a Ukrainian cameraman working for Reuters, and Couso, a Telecinco cameraman, killed by US tank fire on the Palestine Hotel in Baghdad, which was used as a base by the foreign media.

14 April 2003

Mario Podesta, America TV Argentine freelance journalist who died in a car crash near Baghdad. He was travelling in a convoy of press vehicles some 80 km (50 miles) from the capital.

15 April 2003

Veronica Cabrera, America TV A freelance camerawoman from Argentina who died of injuries after the same accident.

9 May 2003

Elizabeth Neuffer, Boston Globe Waleed Khalifa Hassan Al Dulaimi, Boston Globe Neuffer was killed when the car in which she was travelling hit a highway barrier near the town of Samarra, about half way between Tikrit and Baghdad.

Her Iraqi translator, Waleed Khalifa Hassan Al-Dulami, also died.

5 July 2003

Richard Wild, freelance The British journalist was gunned down by an unknown assailant in a Baghdad street.

6 July 2003

Jeremy Little, NBC Australian sound recordist Jeremy Little died of wounds sustained in a rocket attack. He was embedded with US forces.

17 August 2003

Mazen Dana, Reuters Palestinian cameraman Dana was shot by a US soldier in a tank while filming near Abu Ghraib Prison outside Baghdad.

28 October 2003

Ahmed Shawkat, Bilah Ittijah Shawkat, editor of the weekly Bilah Ittijah (Without Direction), was shot and killed by one or more gunmen at his office in Mosul.

27 January 2004

Duraid Isa Mohammed, CNN Yasser Khatab, CNN Translator and producer Duraid Isa Mohammed and driver Yasser Khatab, both Iraqi, were ambushed and died of multiple gunshot wounds as they were returning to Baghdad in a two-car convoy from an assignment in the southern city of Hillah.

1 February 2004

Safir Nader, Qulan TV Abdel Sattar Abdel Karim, Al Ta’akhy Ayoub Mohamed, Kurdistan TV Haymin Mohamed Salih, Qulan TV Gharib Mohamed Salih, Kurdistan TV Semko Karim Mohyideen, freelance Two suicide bombers blew up almost simultaneously at the party offices of KDP & PUK in Arbil, killing seven working journalists, all Iraqi Kurds. Selwan Abdelghani Medhi AlNiemi, Voice of America An Iraqi translator working for the Voice of America [VOA], and two members of his family, were shot and killed in Baghdad by unknown assailants. The translator, alNiemi, was attacked as he was returning home in his car. His mother and daughter, who were travelling in the car with him, were also killed.

18 March 2004

Nadia Nasrat, Diyala TV Majid Rachid, Diyala TV Mohamad Ahmad, Diyala TV Gunmen opened fire on a minibus carrying staff of a Coalition forces-funded television station at Baquba, 60 km north of Baghdad.

One journalist and two staff members were killed.

Ali Abdel Aziz, Al-Arabiya Cameraman Aziz was shot dead and correspondent Ali al-Khatib was wounded when a team from Al-Arabiya went to cover an attack on the Burj al-Hayat hotel in Baghdad and US forces opened fire.

19 March 2004

Ali Al-Khatib, Al-Arabiya Died from his wounds in a hospital in Baghdad.

26 March 2004

Burhan Mohammed Mazhour, ABC News Freelance Iraqi cameraman died of bullet wounds sustained during heavy fighting in Fallujah. It was unclear who killed him.

Omar Kamal, Time Magazine Omar Kamal, An Iraqi translator working for the U.S.-based newsweekly Time died after sustaining multiple gunshot wounds in Baghdad two days earlier. The circumstances of the shooting were unclear.9 April 2004 Assad Kadhim, Al-Iraqiya TV Hussein Saleh, Al-Iraqiya TV Al-Iraqiya TV Correspondent Asaad Kadhim and driver Hussein Saleh were killed when American troops opened fire on vehicles on the road to Samara. 7 May 2004 Waldemar Milewicz, Poland TV Mounyr Beouamrani, Poland TV A Polish and an Algerian journalist, both working for Poland’s TVP television, were shot dead by gunmen at Latafiya, 30 km (20 miles) south of Baghdad, where several deadly ambushes had taken place.

20 May 2004

Hamid Rashid Wali, AlJazeera An Iraqi technician from AlJazeera television, Wali, was shot dead in Kerbala, during clashes between the US Army and Shiite militia.

27 May 2004

Shinsuke Hashida, freelance Kotaro Ogawa, freelance Mohamed Najmedin Two Japanese freelance journalists and their translator were killed when their vehicle was fired on near Baghdad.

28 May 2004

Samia Abdeljabar, AlSabah Al-Jedid Samia Abdeljabar, a driver for the Baghdad independent Arabic-language al-Sabah alJedid, was abducted and killed after a failed attempt to kidnap the journalists he was with. 3 June 2004 Sahar Saad Eddin Nuami, Al-Mizan, AlKhaima, Al-Hayat Al-Gadida Nuami was killed when a grenade was thrown at his car in Kirkuk. 15 August 2004 Mahmoud Hamid Abbas, ZDF, EBU An Iraqi editor/producer for ZDF, Abbas, was killed outside Fallujah. He was believed to have been heading back to Baghdad to report on US air strikes on the city.

Hossam Ali, freelance photographer An Iraqi freelance photographer was found dead in a morgue in Fallujah. The circumstances of his death were not immediately clear.

21 August 2004

Ghareeb (full name not yet known) The driver/translator of Italian journalist Enzo Baldoni was found dead. Baldoni was kidnapped and held hostage on threat of execution unless Italy pulled its forces out.

26 August 2004

Enzo Baldoni, Diario A group calling itself the Islamic Army in Iraq said it had killed Baldoni after Italy refused to withdraw its troops. Italy’s prime minister described the reported killing as an “act of barbarity”.

12 September 2004

Mazen al-Tumeizi Al-Tumeizi, a correspondent for Al Arabiya, was killed in a US missile attack in Baghdad.

Source: International News Safety Institute

Email pged@pressgazette.co.uk to point out mistakes, provide story tips or send in a letter for publication on our "Letters Page" blog

Select and enter your email address Weekly insight into the big strategic issues affecting the future of the news industry. Essential reading for media leaders every Thursday. Your morning brew of news about the world of news from Press Gazette and elsewhere in the media. Sent at around 10am UK time. Our weekly does of strategic insight about the future of news media aimed at US readers. A fortnightly update from the front-line of news and advertising. Aimed at marketers and those involved in the advertising industry.
  • Business owner/co-owner
  • CEO
  • COO
  • CFO
  • CTO
  • Chairperson
  • Non-Exec Director
  • Other C-Suite
  • Managing Director
  • President/Partner
  • Senior Executive/SVP or Corporate VP or equivalent
  • Director or equivalent
  • Group or Senior Manager
  • Head of Department/Function
  • Manager
  • Non-manager
  • Retired
  • Other
Visit our privacy Policy for more information about our services, how New Statesman Media Group may use, process and share your personal data, including information on your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications.
Thank you

Thanks for subscribing.

Websites in our network