Al-Washli, a correspondent for the Houthi-owned Al-Masirah TV, was killed in the Yemeni city of Dhamar when a bomb exploded while he was covering attempts by Houthi militiamen to defuse it, according to news reports.
A statement posted online on January 4 by a Twitter account affiliated with Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) claimed the group had placed the bomb and said that dozens were killed and injured. Al-Masirah and other news outlets reported that the explosion killed al-Washli and at least five members of a local security force created by the Houthis. The station published graphic footage on its Facebook page showing the aftermath of the explosion, including a camera and microphone in a pool of blood.
The explosion was one of the latest episodes of violence in Yemen, where fighting on multiple fronts and between several factions had escalated in recent months, according to news reports. Militia from the rebel Houthi movement had taken control of several cities including the capital, Sana’a, and Dhamar. AQAP countered with attacks against the Houthis, while continuing its campaign against the government.
A statement on Al-Masirah’s Facebook page said that al-Washli was the station’s first journalist to be killed while reporting. Videos posted to YouTube show the 37-year-old journalist reporting for the channel on the violence in Yemen, including several reports filed from funerals.
Al-Washli was married with three children, the station reported.