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Associated Press photographer killed, reporter wounded in Afghanistan | Associated Press photographer killed, reporter wounded in Afghanistan |
(about 4 hours later) | |
KABUL — A photographer for the Associated Press was killed and a reporter was wounded on Friday when an Afghan police officer shot each of them multiple times. | KABUL — A photographer for the Associated Press was killed and a reporter was wounded on Friday when an Afghan police officer shot each of them multiple times. |
The journalists were traveling with election workers in eastern Khost province in a convoy that was protected by Afghan soldiers and police officers, according to the AP. | |
Anja Niedringhaus, 48, a German photographer, was killed instantly. Kathy Gannon, a Canadian reporter, is in stable condition. Both were veterans with deep experience in the region. | Anja Niedringhaus, 48, a German photographer, was killed instantly. Kathy Gannon, a Canadian reporter, is in stable condition. Both were veterans with deep experience in the region. |
“Anja and Kathy together have spent years in Afghanistan covering the conflict and the people there. Anja was a vibrant, dynamic journalist well-loved for her insightful photographs, her warm heart and joy for life. We are heartbroken at her loss,” AP Executive Editor Kathleen Carroll said in a statement issued by the wire service. | “Anja and Kathy together have spent years in Afghanistan covering the conflict and the people there. Anja was a vibrant, dynamic journalist well-loved for her insightful photographs, her warm heart and joy for life. We are heartbroken at her loss,” AP Executive Editor Kathleen Carroll said in a statement issued by the wire service. |
Niedringhaus earned a Pulitzer Prize in 2005, as part of a team of AP photographers covering the Iraq War. | Niedringhaus earned a Pulitzer Prize in 2005, as part of a team of AP photographers covering the Iraq War. |
Violence has surged in the weeks before Saturday’s presidential election, and journalists have paid a high price. Last month, Swedish journalist Nils Horner was shot and killed while conducting interviews in Kabul. Then Sardar Ahmad, a reporter for Agence France-Presse, was killed with his wife and two children in an attack on Kabul’s Serena Hotel. | |
Over the last decade, journalists were not often targeted in Afghanistan, but that appears to be changing. | Over the last decade, journalists were not often targeted in Afghanistan, but that appears to be changing. |
The man who shot Niedringhaus and Gannon was named Naqibullah, who goes by one name, described as a mid-level police officer. He had been transferred to Khost about three months ago, according to Sardar Abdul Makinzoi, a member of the provincial council. | |
According to the AP report, “Naqibullah walked up to the car, yelled ‘Allahu Akbar’ — God is Great — and opened fire on them in the back seat with his AK-47.” | According to the AP report, “Naqibullah walked up to the car, yelled ‘Allahu Akbar’ — God is Great — and opened fire on them in the back seat with his AK-47.” |
Makinzoi said the gunman had been a police officer for “a long time” but wasn’t sure how many years he had served. | |
The two journalists had arrived at the government headquarters of Tani district, where they were covering the delivery of ballots across the province. | The two journalists had arrived at the government headquarters of Tani district, where they were covering the delivery of ballots across the province. |
The gunman was taken into custody, according to Mubarez Mohammad Zadran, a spokesman for the provincial governor. | The gunman was taken into custody, according to Mubarez Mohammad Zadran, a spokesman for the provincial governor. |
Gannon is being treated at an Afghan hospital in Khost, but the U.S. military is attempting to evacuate her, according to U.S. officials. | Gannon is being treated at an Afghan hospital in Khost, but the U.S. military is attempting to evacuate her, according to U.S. officials. |
Sayed Salahuddin contributed to this report |