Car-bomb attacks on Al-Sabah newspaper and hotel used by foreign journalists

Reporters Without Borders today condemned the simultaneous car-bomb attacks on two press targets that took place on 27 August in Baghdad. One was detonated in the parking lot of the governmental daily Al-Sabah in north Baghdad, killing two people and injuring 25. The other went off outside the Hotel Palestine, which is mainly used by foreign journalists and which houses the bureaux of several news agencies. “This is the second attack in four months on Al-Sabah and the second in 10 months on the Hotel Palestine” the press freedom organisation said. “We are concerned that media workers are even taking risks when they work inside their offices.” The early-morning explosion in the parking lot of the Al-Sabah building, which also houses the fortnightly Al-Shabaka, destroyed several cars and caused part of the building to collapse. A car-bomb was previously set off in the newspaper's garage in May, killing printing technician Ismail Mohammad Khalaf, and injuring around 20 others, including journalists. Al Sabah editor Salah Michaal told Reporters Without Borders: “Al Sabah is the country's leading daily and we employ journalists from all the different communities. It is not the first time the newspaper has been attacked by terrorists but they will not prevent us from continuing our work.” Three almost simultaneous suicide bombings on the Palestine Hotel on 24 October 2005 inflicted serious injuries on nine journalists and media assistants. A total of 103 journalists and media assistants have been killed in Iraq since the start of the war in March 2003.