Iraqi journalist killed in Mosul

BAGHDAD - Agence France-Presse

A cameraman for Al-Mosuliya television station was killed in north Iraq on Oct. 24, the channel said, the third journalist to be murdered in the city of Mosul this month.

A police officer confirmed the death of Bashar Abdulqader Najm, saying he was shot dead by gunmen in front of his house.

His murder came after gunmen killed two journalists from Iraq's Sharqiya television channel in Mosul on October 5.

Mosul is one of the most dangerous areas in Iraq, with militants frequently carrying out attacks and also reportedly extorting money from shop owners in the city.

Iraq has come in for repeated criticism over shortcomings in media freedom.

"Many Iraqi journalists are routinely exposed to threats, murder attempts, attacks, difficulties obtaining permission, denial of access, confiscation of equipment and so on," media rights watchdog Reporters Without Borders (RSF) said earlier this year.

Also on Oct. 24, a roadside bomb exploded on a commercial street in the Amriyah area of Baghdad, killing three people and wounding 11, officials said.

And another bomb exploded near a roadside food stand in Madain, south of Baghdad, killing two people and wounding 11.

Violence in Iraq has reached a level unseen since 2008, when the country was just emerging from a brutal sectarian conflict.

More than 550 people have now been killed this month, and more than 5,250 since the beginning of the year, according to AFP figures based on security and medical sources.