Iraq: Cameraman killed in southern Mosul

 JournalismPakistan.com |  Published: 18 July 2016

BRUSSELS - An Iraqi cameraman was killed on 13 July in the south of Mosul, Iraq. The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and its affiliate the Iraqi Journalist Syndicate (IJS) in condemning the killing and calls for more security for journalists operating on the ground.

According to media reports, Ali Mahmoud, an Iraqi cameraman working for Al-Ghadeer satellite channel, was in a vehicle escorting Iraqi security forces to southern Mosul held by ISS in northern Iraq, when it was hit by a bomb. The bombing killed Ali Mahmoud and wounded media staff Ali Jawad working for Al Iraqiya, the Iraqi national TV.

IJS said: “The Iraqi Journalists Syndicate mourns the death of Ali Mahmoud cameraman Al-Ghadeer and presents its condolences to the family, colleagues and friends of Mahmoud. It wishes a speedy recovery to colleague Ali Jawad.” It called on media staff “to be vigilant and cautious while escorting the security forces and ensure their safety.”

IFJ president Philippe Leruth said: “We are deeply saddened by the killing of Ali Mahmoud. We call on media companies in Iraq to take into account the working environment in Iraq and ensure their staff receive adequate safety training to reduce risks to their lives when covering the conflict. No story is worth a loss of life”.

Mahmoud is at least the 4th media staff killed in Iraq since the beginning of the year according to the IFJ statistics. - IFJ