Alaa Abdul-Karim al-Fartoosi, a
cameraman, and driver Alaa Aasi were killed by a roadside bomb as they entered the town of Balad, about
50 miles (80 kilometers) north of Baghdad, at around 6:15 p.m., according to
the director of external relations for the channel, Mihssen Mohammad Hussein.
The driver and cameraman were traveling with correspondent
the device exploded. Al-Hassani sustained broken bones in her legs and
fractures to her knees, Hussein told CPJ. Kathem sustained light injuries, he
said.
Hussein said the crew was filming a report to commemorate
the second anniversary of the bombing of the Askariya shrine in Samarra.
Abbas al-Issawi, director-general of Al-Forat, told CPJ it
was not clear whether the crew was deliberately targeted. The satellite
channel, established in 2004, is backed by the powerful Supreme Islamic Iraqi
Council, a Shiite political party led by Abdul Aziz al-Hakim.