Posted on 07/12/2007 5:28:28 PM PDT by mdittmar
LONDON (Reuters) - An Iraqi photographer and driver working for Reuters in Iraq were killed in Baghdad on Thursday in what witnesses said was a U.S. helicopter attack but which the military described as a firefight with insurgents.
Iraqi police blamed American military action for the deaths.
Photographer Namir Noor-Eldeen, 22, and driver Saeed Chmagh, 40, were killed in eastern Baghdad, the international news and information company said.
The U.S. military said the pair died after a clash between its troops and insurgents. The incident was under investigation, it said in a statement.
U.S. and Iraqi forces engaged "a hostile force" after coming under fire and attack aircraft were called in.
Nine insurgents and two civilians were killed, the military said. The "two civilians were reported as employees for the Reuters news service," it added.
A preliminary police report obtained by Reuters said Noor-Eldeen and Chmagh had been killed by a "random American bombardment" that had killed nine other people.
The report was issued by the al-Rashad police station, the closest station to the scene. Reuters obtained a photocopy of the report. It was based upon witness accounts of the incident and signed by a lieutenant-colonel, the head of the station.
The deaths take to six the number of Reuters employees killed in Iraq since U.S.-led forces invaded the country in 2003 to topple Saddam Hussein.
"Once again we are left mourning colleagues who have met an untimely death while doing their job in Iraq," said Reuters chief executive Tom Glocer.
(Excerpt) Read more at reuters.com ...
Line all of the reuters guys up and shoot them. Do the world a favor and rid it of a bunch of terrorist sympathizers.
This is horrible. Pull the news people out NOW! The cost is to great.
Let me guess. Reuters was “embedded” with the terrorists?
yea right! The only two “civilians” killed happened to work for Reuters that just happened to be around 9 terrorist? Ain’t buying it, they were working with the terrorist.
I’m sorry for Namir and Saeed, but do wonder if Tom ever “mourns” the troops or the average Iraqi who lose their lives.
Why? That would be silly.
Before I cry for these innocents, I want an investigation into exactly why these Reuters employees were hanging out with "insurgents" that were firing on US and Iraqi forces.
They had it coming I guess. Karma is a beech.
Progress!
A damn shame that our old media publishes every reuters story on the front page.
Decaf, FRiend!
They were likely local freelancers taken on contract by al-R. Now if they were somewhere they weren’t supposed to be...
Still, they both had mommies.
its getting rough filming training films for al qaeda
Don’t care about our enemies having parents. They should have raised them better than to side with terrorists.
Got a date yet for your move to desert?
GOD forgive me. I find no sympathy in my heart for rooter’s agents... allies of al qaeda.
LLS
Them al qaeda propaganda films are getting as scarce as the old media reports about the daily bombings in Baghdad.
Too bad Tim McGirk wasn’t among them.
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