Iraqi Kurdish TV reporter killed in Mosul

 JournalismPakistan.com |  Published 8 years ago

BAGHDAD - A female reporter working for Iraqi Kurdish channel Rudaw was killed by the explosion of a roadside bomb Saturday during fighting between government forces and jihadists in Mosul, her channel said.

"Prominent Rudaw war reporter and journalist Shifa Gardi has been killed in Mosul as she covered clashes," Rudaw said on social media.

"Journalism remains male-dominated - Shifa Gardi broke those perceptions and stereotypes - we pay tribute to her courageous journalism," the channel said.

Rudaw editors told AFP that the 30-year-old reporter, who was born a refugee in Iran, was killed by an explosive device on a road in west Mosul and said that the cameraman working with her was wounded.

He was transferred to Arbil, the nearby capital of Iraq's autonomous Kurdish region where the channel is headquartered.

Iraqi forces entered neighborhoods of the west bank of Mosul on Friday for the first time since the start on October 17 of a huge offensive to retake the city from the Islamic State group.

Gardi was the second journalist to die covering the Mosul offensive, in the first days of which a young Iraqi reporter for Al Sumaria TV, Ali Raysan, was also killed.

Ranked 158th out of 180 countries in Reporters Without Borders' 2016 World Press Freedom Index, Iraq is one of the world's most dangerous places for journalists.

"Shifa Gardi was one of Rudaw's most daring journalist," the channel said in a statement.

She had recently started presenting a daily show on the Mosul offensive, the early stages of which Kurdish peshmerga forces took part in.

Rudaw posted a picture on their website of Gardi holding a rabbit she found wounded while on assignment south of Mosul earlier this week.

"I brought it back with me. We will be treating the rabbit and then give it to an animal protection agency which is willing to look after it," she was quoted as saying.- AFP/Image courtesy: Rudaw

Read Next

PFUJ recalls November 3, 2007 emergency as Pakistan’s darkest day

 November 03, 2025: PFUJ recalls November 3, 2007, as Pakistan’s darkest day under Musharraf, urging protection for journalists and the abolition of laws threatening press freedom.

PFUJ calls for end to Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists

 November 02, 2025: PFUJ urges Pakistan’s federal and provincial governments to end Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists and ensure their safety and press freedom.

Global impunity for journalist murders worsens as Pakistan sees 60 percent rise in attacks

 November 02, 2025: Impunity for crimes against journalists deepens worldwide as Pakistan reports a 60 percent surge in attacks and weak enforcement of safety laws.

Pakistan Press Foundation documents 137 attacks on journalists in 2025

 November 01, 2025: Pakistan Press Foundation reports 137 attacks on journalists in 2025, highlighting rising threats, legal harassment, and censorship on the International Day to End Impunity.

Anchor Talat Hussain laughs as Marwat makes vulgar comment on air

 November 01, 2025: A viral Samaa TV clip featuring MNA Sher Afzal Marwat’s crude remarks and Talat Hussain’s laughter raises questions about the declining ethics of Pakistani television.

Why was this DawnNews TV journalist targeted in a foiled murder plot?

 October 31, 2025: Police foiled a plot to kill DawnNewsTV journalist Tahir Naseer in Rawalpindi after arresting suspects hired for Rs200,000. Naseer says threats followed his reporting.

CPJ calls on Pakistan to prosecute killers of journalist Imtiaz Mir

 October 31, 2025: CPJ calls on Pakistan to bring Imtiaz Mir’s killers to justice after the journalist was allegedly murdered by a banned militant group in Karachi.

PFUJ urges quashing of fabricated case against journalist Matiullah Jan

 October 30, 2025: The PFUJ has condemned a fabricated drug case against journalist Matiullah Jan, calling it an attempt to silence him and urging authorities to quash the charges immediately.