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Journalist And Translator Killed In Afghanistan

Zabihullah Tamanna
David Gilkey

A veteran US photojournalist working for National Public Radio (NPR) and his translator have been killed in southern Afghanistan.
David Gilkey and Afghan translator Zabihullah Tamanna were travelling with an Afghan army unit near Marjah, Helmand province, when their convoy came under fire and their vehicle was hit, NPR said.
Isabel Lara, a spokeswoman for the network, said in a statement that two other NPR journalists, Tom Bowman and producer Monika Evstatieva, were travelling with them and were not hurt.
Secretary of State John Kerry called the attack "a grim reminder of the danger that continues to face the Afghan people, the dedication of Afghan national defence and security forces to securing their country, and of the courage of intrepid journalists - and their interpreters - who are trying to convey that important story to the rest of the world".
Major Abdul Qader, deputy spokesman for the 215 Army Corp in Helmand, said the vehicle Mr Gilkey and Mr Tamanna were travelling in came under a sustained Taliban attack near the main army base in Marjah.
He said their Humvee was "only 300 to 400 metres from the army base when suddenly they came under attack".
The vehicle was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade. Five people were inside the Humvee - Mr Gilkey, Mr Tamanna, a heavy machine gun operator on the roof, an Afghan army soldier and driver.
The driver and the gunner were also killed, Maj Qader said.
Gilkey, who was also a video editor, had covered the conflict and war in Iraq and Afghanistan since the 9/11 attacks.
Michael Oreskes, NPR senior vice president of news and editorial director, said in a statement: "As a man and as a photojournalist, David brought out the humanity of all those around him.
"He let us see the world and each other through his eyes."
Mr Tamanna was a freelancer who often worked for NPR. Known as Zabi, he also worked as a photographer and reporter, working for China's Xinhua and Turkey's Anadolu news agencies.
Some 27 journalists have been killed in Afghanistan since 1992, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists.

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