Polish, Algerian reporters killed in Iraq
One Polish and an Algerian journalist have been shot dead and a Polish cameraman has been wounded in central Iraq.
Poland’s embassy in Iraq confirmed that two people, including one Pole, were killed near Latifiya, about 30 km south of Baghdad on Friday on the road to Babylon, where the headquarters of the Polish military force in Iraq is based.
“According to the information we have, this morning…south of Baghdad a car was attacked. Everything indicates that it was carrying a reporting team from (public television) TVP,” said Tomasz Gielzecki, charge d’affaires at the Polish embassy.
“Two people were killed, including one Pole, and another Pole was injured,” he told private television TVN24.
TVP said an Algerian working for the television company was also killed.
Unknown attackers
“Unknown attackers opened fire at the back of the reporters’ car, immediately killing the Pole,” eyewitnesses told Aljazeera correspondent in Iraq.
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The journalists were killed 30km |
The names of the journalists were reported as Munir Bu Umran, Algerian, and Waldemar Milewicz from Poland.
Poland, a staunch backer of the US-led invasion and occupation of Iraq has about 2400 troops in the country and commands a multinational stabilisation force in south-central Iraq.
To date, two Polish soldiers have died in Iraq.
“We have been told that American soldiers took the wounded Pole to hospital and now we are trying to determine the facts through military channels…we are trying to reach the hospital in Mahmudiya,” Gielzecki said.