Afghan shooter kills photographer, injures Canadian reporter
Reuters
First posted: Friday, April 04, 2014 07:54 AM EDT | Updated: Friday, April 04, 2014 11:22 AM EDT
KHOST, Afghanistan — A veteran Associated Press photographer was shot dead and a Canadian reporter wounded on Friday when an Afghan policeman opened fire on them in eastern Afghanistan, The Associated Press reports.
The attack took place on the eve of a presidential election that Taliban insurgents have pledged to disrupt through a campaign of bombings and assassinations.
The Associated Press said photographer Anja Niedringhaus, 48, had been killed and reporter Kathy Gannon, 60, wounded while they were sitting in their car.
Bullet holes are seen in the car in which Associated Press (AP) photographer Anja Niedringhaus and reporter Kathy Gannon were travelling when they were shot at, in Khost province April 4, 2014.(REUTERS/Stringer)
Niedringhaus, an internationally acclaimed German photographer, was killed instantly, according to an AP Television freelancer who witnessed the shooting.
Gannon, a Timmins, Ont., native who is based in Islamabad and has covered war and unrest in Afghanistan for 30 years, was wounded twice and was receiving medical attention, The Associated Press said.
She was described as being in stable condition and talking to medical personnel.
Gannon, the wire service's chief in Islamabad, began her reporting career in Timmins, Ont., with Thomson newspapers. She worked briefly at the Timmins Daily Press in the mid 1970s.
The Associated Press said Niedringhaus and Gannon were travelling in a convoy of election workers delivering ballots from the centre of Khost city to the outskirts, in Tani district.
The area borders Pakistan's lawless North Waziristan region where many al Qaida- and Taliban-linked militants are based.
The two had arrived in a heavily guarded district compound shortly before the attack. As they were sitting in the car waiting for the convoy to move, a unit commander walked up to the car, yelled "Allahu Akbar" — God is great — and opened fire on them with his AK-47, The Associated Press reported.
He then surrendered to the other police and was arrested.
Canadian reporter Kathy Gannon (left) and AP photographer Anja Niedringhaus (right) are seen here in these file photos.(QMI AGENCY FILE/REUTERS/AP Handout)
Afghan shooter kills photographer, injures Canadian reporter | Canada | News | Toronto Sun
Reuters
First posted: Friday, April 04, 2014 07:54 AM EDT | Updated: Friday, April 04, 2014 11:22 AM EDT
KHOST, Afghanistan — A veteran Associated Press photographer was shot dead and a Canadian reporter wounded on Friday when an Afghan policeman opened fire on them in eastern Afghanistan, The Associated Press reports.
The attack took place on the eve of a presidential election that Taliban insurgents have pledged to disrupt through a campaign of bombings and assassinations.
The Associated Press said photographer Anja Niedringhaus, 48, had been killed and reporter Kathy Gannon, 60, wounded while they were sitting in their car.
Bullet holes are seen in the car in which Associated Press (AP) photographer Anja Niedringhaus and reporter Kathy Gannon were travelling when they were shot at, in Khost province April 4, 2014.(REUTERS/Stringer)
Niedringhaus, an internationally acclaimed German photographer, was killed instantly, according to an AP Television freelancer who witnessed the shooting.
Gannon, a Timmins, Ont., native who is based in Islamabad and has covered war and unrest in Afghanistan for 30 years, was wounded twice and was receiving medical attention, The Associated Press said.
She was described as being in stable condition and talking to medical personnel.
Gannon, the wire service's chief in Islamabad, began her reporting career in Timmins, Ont., with Thomson newspapers. She worked briefly at the Timmins Daily Press in the mid 1970s.
The Associated Press said Niedringhaus and Gannon were travelling in a convoy of election workers delivering ballots from the centre of Khost city to the outskirts, in Tani district.
The area borders Pakistan's lawless North Waziristan region where many al Qaida- and Taliban-linked militants are based.
The two had arrived in a heavily guarded district compound shortly before the attack. As they were sitting in the car waiting for the convoy to move, a unit commander walked up to the car, yelled "Allahu Akbar" — God is great — and opened fire on them with his AK-47, The Associated Press reported.
He then surrendered to the other police and was arrested.
Canadian reporter Kathy Gannon (left) and AP photographer Anja Niedringhaus (right) are seen here in these file photos.(QMI AGENCY FILE/REUTERS/AP Handout)
Afghan shooter kills photographer, injures Canadian reporter | Canada | News | Toronto Sun
