Publish to Newswire
Add an EventFrom the Open-Publishing Calendar
From the Open-Publishing Newswire
Indybay Feature
Conflict Claims IWPR Trainee
Kamal Manahi Anbar, a young journalist with enormous promise, died last week while researching a story in Baghdad.
By Tiare Rath in Sulaimaniyah (ICR No. 171, 05-Apr-06)
This is how I will always remember Kamal: Pen in one hand, notebook in the other, furiously scribbling every piece of information that came his way. While new to journalism, Kamal was born a writer.
Kamal Manahi Anbar, an IWPR trainee journalist, was killed on March 26, 2006. He was 28 and had got married six months ago - his wife is three months’ pregnant.
Kamal was working on a story about how the displacement of Iraqi families since the Samarra bombings in February had created volatile housing markets - with, for example, rents in some neighbourhoods spiralling because of demand from families fleeing other parts of the city.
He had recently attended our course on economics reporting and wanted to try to sell the story to IWPR.
Kamal went to al-Mustafa al-Husseiniyah, a mosque and office complex, in Baghdad's Ur neighbourhood to interview Sheikh Safaa al-Timimi. The sheikh, head of Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr's political movement in the area, had become an authority on displaced families who sought shelter in Ur, a majority Shia neighbourhood where Kamal lived.
Kamal was working on one of his first assignments as a journalist, and took along two close friends, both IWPR trainees. The three met every day after work and planned to go to dinner after the interview.
As they approached al-Husseiniyah, several American Humvees and other military vehicles carrying Iraqi flags appeared. They began shooting, and the three journalists scattered, running for cover in nearby houses.
About two hours later, at around 8 pm local time, the shooting stopped. Kamal’s friends had sheltered in two separate houses and met on the street but could not find Kamal. One of them, Musadaq Mutar, said the scene following the raid was chaotic: cars were on fire, the smell of blood was in the air and people were flooding into the area. Their mobile phone networks were blocked, as is often the case when incidents occur or military operations take place.
Musadaq said that Kamal had been shot and killed. He was slumped on the ground close to the front gate of a house, with bullet wounds to his face and neck. It appeared that he was trying to open the gate when he was shot.
More
http://www.iwpr.net/?p=icr&s=f&o=260860&apc_state=henh
This is how I will always remember Kamal: Pen in one hand, notebook in the other, furiously scribbling every piece of information that came his way. While new to journalism, Kamal was born a writer.
Kamal Manahi Anbar, an IWPR trainee journalist, was killed on March 26, 2006. He was 28 and had got married six months ago - his wife is three months’ pregnant.
Kamal was working on a story about how the displacement of Iraqi families since the Samarra bombings in February had created volatile housing markets - with, for example, rents in some neighbourhoods spiralling because of demand from families fleeing other parts of the city.
He had recently attended our course on economics reporting and wanted to try to sell the story to IWPR.
Kamal went to al-Mustafa al-Husseiniyah, a mosque and office complex, in Baghdad's Ur neighbourhood to interview Sheikh Safaa al-Timimi. The sheikh, head of Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr's political movement in the area, had become an authority on displaced families who sought shelter in Ur, a majority Shia neighbourhood where Kamal lived.
Kamal was working on one of his first assignments as a journalist, and took along two close friends, both IWPR trainees. The three met every day after work and planned to go to dinner after the interview.
As they approached al-Husseiniyah, several American Humvees and other military vehicles carrying Iraqi flags appeared. They began shooting, and the three journalists scattered, running for cover in nearby houses.
About two hours later, at around 8 pm local time, the shooting stopped. Kamal’s friends had sheltered in two separate houses and met on the street but could not find Kamal. One of them, Musadaq Mutar, said the scene following the raid was chaotic: cars were on fire, the smell of blood was in the air and people were flooding into the area. Their mobile phone networks were blocked, as is often the case when incidents occur or military operations take place.
Musadaq said that Kamal had been shot and killed. He was slumped on the ground close to the front gate of a house, with bullet wounds to his face and neck. It appeared that he was trying to open the gate when he was shot.
More
http://www.iwpr.net/?p=icr&s=f&o=260860&apc_state=henh
Add Your Comments
We are 100% volunteer and depend on your participation to sustain our efforts!
Donate
$210.00 donated
in the past month
Get Involved
If you'd like to help with maintaining or developing the website, contact us.
Publish
Publish your stories and upcoming events on Indybay.
Topics
More
Search Indybay's Archives
Advanced Search
►
▼
IMC Network