Deadly day for reporters in Iraq

Five Iraqi journalists were killed in three separate attacks this weekend, marking the deadliest day for reporters covering the country in a year.

Four reporters for Iraqi newspapers were reported shot to death Sunday in ambushes near Kirkuk in northern Iraq. Previously reported was the death of Salih Saif Aldin, a correspondent for the Washington Post who was apparently shot to death Sunday too while on assignment in the Sadiya neighborhood of southwest Baghdad.

Iraqi journalists have faced the greatest dangers covering the war in Iraq, and they have borne the brunt of deaths among reporters. Western media organizations rely on Iraqi journalists for street reporting. But Iraqi reporters often face their own threats: Iraqis discovered working for Western media organizations are treated as enemy collaborators.

“Two years ago, murder became the leading cause of journalist deaths in Iraq, overtaking crossfire,” said Joel Campagna, Middle East program coordinator for the Committee to Protect Journalists. “That’s a trend that has continued to this day, and the overwhelming number of victims are Iraqi journalists.”

Prior to Sunday, the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists had tallied 118 journalist deaths in Iraq since the U.S.-led invasion in 2003. Of those, about 80% were Iraqis. In recent months, ABC, Reuters, the New York Times and CBS have lost Iraqi employees.

Both of the other attacks on Iraqi journalists Sunday happened north of Baghdad. Near Hawija on Sunday, Ziad Tariq Ahmed, a reporter for the Iraqi Sahrin newspaper in Tikrit, was ambushed by gunmen on a highway while traveling with two relatives who were police officers. All three were killed.

Later, three reporters for the Watan newspaper were ambushed and killed by gunmen southwest of Kirkuk, Col. Yakar Mohammed of the Kirkuk police said. The journalists were identified as Jassim Mohammed Nofan, Khalid Mohammed Nofan and Ziad Tariq.

In Iraq’s worst day for journalist deaths, five journalists and six supporting staff members were killed one year ago when gunmen attacked the Al Shaabiya television station in Baghdad.

christian.berthelsen@latimes.com

Times staff writers Saif Hameed and Saif Rasheed contributed to this report.