Ahmed Azize

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Syrian cameraperson and photojournalist Ahmed Azize, who worked for the pro-opposition Aleppo News Network, was killed on August 10, 2018, while covering Russian airstrikes on the town of Urum al-Kubra, 19 km (11.8 miles) southwest of the city of Aleppo, according to news reports, the Syrian Journalists Association, and his employer.

Azize’s father, Abu al-Ezz al-Halabi, was cited by the Syrian Journalists Association as saying that Azize left home at 7 p.m. to cover the effects of two Russian aerial missile strikes on Urum al-Kubra in Aleppo province when the fighter jets turned back and bombed the area again, killing Azize and 20 other civilians.

The airstrikes were part of a campaign by forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, including the Russian military, to retake Idlib, Aleppo, and Hama provinces from Syrian opposition forces, according to The Associated Press.

The Russian Foreign Ministry did not respond to CPJ’s emailed request for comment.

Hamidi al-Halabi, a colleague of Azize at the Aleppo News Network told CPJ that Azize was reporting on the airstrike when he saw that some of the victims were alive and rushed to help. "He was carrying a child who was still alive when the second air raid happened, killing them both instantly," al-Halabi said.

Azize began working for Aleppo News Network—which mainly publishes videos and photos on Facebook—in 2014 and covered human interest stories in Aleppo province. His recent stories included that of a mother of seven handicapped children from Al-Hasakah, youth activities in rural areas of Aleppo, and the difficulties facing doctors and medical staff to provide health care at Al-Karama hospital in rural Aleppo.