Bodies of two journalists killed by ISIS terrorists founded south of Mosul

Bodies of two journalists who were killed in an Islamic State attack against south of Mosul were found, Salahuddin Operations Command said.

In a brief statement on Thursday, Lt.Gen. Juma Anad said “security troops have found bodies of Houna Salahuddin channel’s correspondent Harb Hazzaa, and photojournalist, Sou’dad al-Tikriti.”

“The bodies will be transferred to Tikrit to be transferred to their families,” he added.

The two Iraqi journalists were killed earlier this month as IS militants attacked Imam Gharbi village in Qayyarah, south of Mosul. Iraqi forces were able to retake the village, which was re-invaded by the militants, just before the governmnet declared victory in Mosul on July 10.

The Federation of Arab Journalists said in a statement last week that 47 Iraqi journalists were killed, while 55 others were wounded while covering and accompanying security troops during battles in Mosul.

The first Iraqi slain journalist in 2017 was Abdul Qader al-Qaisi, who was kidnapped and then found by security forces in January. His body was dumped on the road between Kirkuk and Baghdad. Another journalist Afrah Shawqi was abducted for nine days and then released.

A report by Reporters Without Borders (RSF) said in December seven reporters were killed in Iraq in 2016, out of a total of 57 who were killed in conflict areas across the world. Syria came on top of the death tally with 19 victims. The total for 2016 was, however, a drop from the 101 death count of 2015.

In October, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Iraq was the world’s top country in terms of impunity regarding journalists’ killing, attributing the fact to the involvement of extremist militias in the murders.

Source: Iraqi News