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| Iraq-Jordan | |
| New York Times journalist killed in Basra | |
| 2005-09-20 | |
| An Iraqi journalist working for the New York Times has been killed after men claiming to be police officers abducted him from his home in Basra. Fakher Haider, who had also worked for the Guardian and National Geographic, was found dead in a deserted area of the Iraqi city yesterday. "This murder of a respected colleague leaves us angry and horrified," said Bill Keller, the executive editor of the New York Times. "Fakher was an invaluable part of our coverage for more than two years. His depth of knowledge, his devotion to the story and his integrity were much admired by the reporters who worked with him." Haider is survived by a wife, Isra, and three children, ages 5, 7 and 9. According to Paris-based Reporters Sans Frontieres, he is the 68th journalist killed in Iraq since the start of the war in March 2003 and the 19th this year. He is also the second New York Times journalist to have been killed in Basra over the past two months. Last month the freelance journalist Steven Vincent was killed after he and his Iraqi translator were abducted at gunpoint. Vincent had earlier written an opinion piece for the New York Times, criticising the Basra security forces.
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| Posted by:Steve |
| #9 Things are tough all over for the NYT....If you are in a war zone, better watch your six. If you are playing the "neutral" reporter and observer, better watch your six. There are no neutrals in the war unless you are out of the country. If you want a good scoop by following the terrorists with camera, you are fair game, AFAIC. The media is just as an important weapon as the rifle in this war. |
| Posted by: Alaska Paul 2005-09-20 17:11 |
| #8 I can think of a few more NY Times that could be sent over there to take his place. :) |
| Posted by: BillH 2005-09-20 16:24 |
| #7 My question is, was this 'journalist' embedded with the 'insurgents'? I mean, most of them seem to be over there. |
| Posted by: Silentbrick 2005-09-20 15:34 |
| #6 I guess it's a modern phenomenon. Just like Clinton tosses the rules out to damage Bush so he can get back to the WH, these ranking Hyde Park Rangers just can't help themselves and trash-talk their peers. Boggles that they aren't beaten like a drum - or drummed out for being too stupid to command. That said, I've vented, heh, you don't doubt the average UK trooper, do you? |
| Posted by: .com 2005-09-20 15:25 |
| #5 .com: Do I doubt the UK soldier? Nope, not if he's not a snide commander with terminal penis envy. I think British officers and other senior people are born with a chronic case of potty mouth - not in the sense of cursing people out, but in the sense of being unable to resist saying uncomplimentary things, accurate or not, about other people. They are incredibly fast with a comeback, but it is also true that, the vast majority of the time, these comebacks are not only untrue, but also diametrically opposed from the truth. The idea that some things are better left unsaid - especially things that are not only insulting, but wrong - doesn't seem to have occurred to these people. |
| Posted by: Zhang Fei 2005-09-20 15:21 |
| #4 Speaking of, Mrs D, same MO as Vincent. Confirmation of the state of affairs. I'd like to point out that the UK troops can operate independently. Operations can occur simultaneously, all over Iraq... Wow! - who'da thunk it?! We can be bagging asshats by the boatload in Tal Afar whilst our cousins are rockin' and rollin' on Basra and the Iranian border. Want to borrow an AC-130? Sure, bro. It could happen, I'm thinkin'. Silly me. The notion that coalition HQ would say, if they knew how things really are there, "Aw shucks, gents - that's okay. We'll get to it later. Don't worry about those Iranian arms and matériel coming across the border, no sweat. Make tea." Heh. Takes some serious disconnects from reality to buy such obvious bullshit. The cousins could do massive damage to the asshats and the mules - if they wanted. So I'm still thinkin' it's the leadership - that snotty arrogant bunch of pissants that sneer at US operations. Do I doubt the UK soldier? Nope, not if he's not a snide commander with terminal penis envy. But that's just me. Sure. HQ knows all about this mess and has given everyone a pass. Sit in your camps and ignore everything. We're not worried. Those high-grade mil-spec explosives pouring in and blowing up Iraqi and US troops from Baghdad to Mosul are no problem. Don't trouble yourselves. Right. Rings like a bell. Yewbetcha. So where's Shitstani - still on Pluto? Where's Jaafari - still up his own ass? Where's... Pfeh. |
| Posted by: .com 2005-09-20 15:08 |
| #3 Has anybody given them MoDo's address? |
| Posted by: Mrs. Davis 2005-09-20 14:25 |
| #2 I blame Bush... |
| Posted by: Eason Jordan 2005-09-20 13:58 |
| #1 We call on the Iraqi authorities and the US-British military coalition to carry out a rapid and thorough investigation to identify those responsible and prevent any recurrence of such tragedies." And then complain how you did not follow the Geneva convention, and how your being there causing people to kill reporters. |
| Posted by: plainslow 2005-09-20 13:15 |