Associated Press Cameraman Killed in Iraq

Yet another member of a journalistic team has been killed in Iraq. Ahmed Hadi Naji, 28, cameraman and assistant, was found shot in the head Friday. He had been missing for several days before his body was found in a morgue. Associated Press President and CEO Tom Curley stated today, "All of us at AP share the pain and grief being felt by Ahmed's family and friends. The situation for our journalists in Iraq is unprecedented in AP's 161-year history of covering wars and conflicts. The courage of our Iraqi colleagues and their dedication to the story stand as an example to the world of journalism's enduring value."

In an article in the Las Vegas Sun, The AP further reports that Naji's wife, Sahba'a Mudhar Khalil, reported him missing Dec. 30 when he did not return that evening. He had left home by motorcycle in the Ashurta Al Khamsa District in southwest Baghdad at 10:30 a.m., telling her he was going to the AP office.

According to Reporters without Borders, Naji's death, added to the list of reporters killed in the current Iraq war, brings the total to 95. 4 of those journalists have been assigned to the AP. Naji had been a "runner" and camerman for 2 1/2 years. In addition to his wife, Naji is survived by infant twins, a boy, Zaid, and a girl, Rand.

As with so many civilian deaths in Iraq, it is difficult to determine motive for the brutal killing. With countless deaths each day, some are random, some are the result of brutal sectarian death squads and some, undoubtedly, are personal. One supposes the death of Naji's was related to the nature of his employment as part of an AP journalistic team.

The Associated Press comments that "The death came as colleagues were still mourning Aswan Ahmed Lutfallah, 35, an AP cameraman who was shot to death by insurgents while covering clashes Dec. 12 in Mosul. He was the second AP journalist killed in that northern Iraqi city in less than two years.

On April 23, 2005, cameraman Saleh Ibrahim was killed after an explosion in Mosul. He was a father of five in his early 30s. AP photographer Mohammed Ibrahim was wounded. The circumstances surrounding the death and injury are still unclear.