New York, February 25, 2017–Iraqi Kurdish reporter Shifa Zikri Ibrahim, known professionally as Shifa Gardi, was killed today by a roadside bomb while covering the Iraqi Army’s offensive against the Islamic State group in western Mosul for the Kurdish TV station Rudaw, the network said. A cameraman for the network, Younis Mustafa, was also injured in the bombing.
“Shifa Gardi’s tragic death underscores the continuing risk that journalists in Iraq face while doing their jobs,” CPJ Deputy Executive Director Robert Mahoney said. “Journalists covering Iraq, and particularly those covering the ongoing conflict between the Iraqi government and the Islamic State group, have shown remarkable bravery and commitment to their work, and all sides in the conflict should honor that commitment by ensuring that they can do their jobs safely.”
More journalists have been killed in Iraq than in any other country since CPJ first began keeping records in 1992. The death of Gardi is Iraq’s first recorded case of a journalist’s killing in 2017. Last year, at least six journalists were confirmed killed in Iraq. Some of those deaths were the result of covering conflicts involving the Islamic State group, while others were targeted by unidentified assailants.