Firas Maadidi, 40, Mosul bureau chief for As-Saffir and chief editor of the local daily Al-Masar, was killed by unidentified gunmen in the al-Noor neighborhood, As-Saffir Deputy Editor Slayhe al-Jowiree told CPJ. Maadidi was shot six times, including twice to the head.
As-Saffir, based in Baghdad, took a strong pro-democracy editorial stance and ran a campaign to educate Iraqis on the importance of the new constitution, local journalists said. It said insurgent attacks against Iraqi civilians were terrorist operations.
“We are an independent newspaper serving the Iraqi people, and we have no political or factional affiliations,” Jowiree told CPJ. The murder came just days after the slaying of Hind Ismail, a 28-year-old reporter for As-Saffir.