Ali Ghani, a media technician with Al-Ahad TV, was killed by mortar fire while reporting in Jaziret al-Khalideya, in Iraq’s Anbar province, on August 20, 2016, according to Al-Ahad TV. Al-Ahad TV is affiliated with Asaib Ahl al-Haq, League of the Righteous, a Shiite militia currently fighting militants from the Islamic State group alongside government security forces.
Al-Ahad correspondent Hussein al-Fares was wounded in the same attack.
Ghani and al-Fares, along with two cameramen, were reporting from an area in Jaziret al-Khalideya that government-allied forces had recently seized from Islamic State, Layth al-Adari, station manager at Al-Ahad TV, told CPJ. The attack took place at around 12:30 p.m., while the crew was setting up to do a live report for the channel’s afternoon news show.
Ghani was hit by mortar fire shrapnel and died instantly, al-Adari said. Al-Fares was injured in his leg and torso, was taken to a Baghdad hospital for treatment. The crew had two cars with them, one of which was destroyed in the attack. The two cameramen survived without injuries, al-Adari said.
Jaziret al-Khalideya lies between the cities of Ramadi and Fallujah, both of which saw fierce fighting between Islamic State and government forces in 2016.