New killing brings journalists' death toll to 98 since the start of the war, 23 since start of 2006

Reporters Without Borders expressed sympathy to the family and colleagues of Ibrahim Seneid, journalist on the daily al-Bashara, who was murdered in Falluja on 13 June 2006 while on his way to work. The international press freedom organisation strongly condemned the targeting of journalists by different parties to the conflict, particularly by the insurgents. "Once again we call on the Iraqi authorities to do their utmost to guarantee their safety,” it said. Leaflets accusing al-Bashara of being in the pay of the US Army and producing political propaganda for the United States and calling for the paper's closure, had been circulating in Falluja during the first week of June. Ninety-eight journalists have been killed and 48 abducted, since the start of the war in March 2003. Of those kidnapped, five were killed by their abductors (four Iraqis and the Italian Enzo Baldoni). Thirty-two of the kidnappings took place in Bagdad and its surrounding area. Journalists Rim Zeid andt Marwan Khazaal of Iraqi al-Sumariya television, as well as an employee in Baghdad of Agence France-Presse (AFP), Salah Jali al-Gharrawi, are still being held hostage in the country.