Iraq news station attack highlights risk to journalists, say campaign groups

International journalism campaign groups have condemned a bomb attack in Baghdad yesterday outside a TV news station, which killed four members of staff and two members of the public.

Iraq satellite channel Al-Arabiya is reported to have been targeted by a suicide bomber, who detonated a car bomb in front of the station's bureau in Baghdad's city centre.

Al-Qaeda has claimed responsibility according to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ).

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and the CPJ both condemned the attack, which they say highlights the huge dangers facing journalists in the country.

"This attack comes after clear threats from terrorists that they intend to target media," Aidan White, IFJ general secretary says in a release. "It is a shocking incident that reinforces the concern over the dangers faced by journalists and media. More must be done to ensure the safety of all media personnel."

"This attack puts a media perspective on the recent falling levels of violence against civilians. For all journalists and media staff, the dangers in reporting Iraq's tense political situation remain as great as ever," White added.

The IFJ say the attack occurred a month after officials warned that insurgents opposed to the channel planned to "strike against the network" and follows a series of attacks to the news channel.

In September 2008, the Baghdad bureau chief, Jawad Hattab, escaped unharmed after spotting a bomb attached to his car while two attacks in 2006 saw a total of 10 staff killed and another 20 wounded.

"Journalists remain prime targets for terrorists in Iraq and the government must act now to counter impunity in the killings of journalists," the IFJ release adds.

Mohamed Abdel Dayem, the Middle East and North Africa coordinator for the CPJ said a thorough investigation must now be conducted.

"[Monday's] attack on Al-Arabiya's offices is a reminder that journalists in Iraq continue to operate in a very dangerous environment," he said in a release. "We call on the Iraqi authorities to investigate this crime and hold the perpetrators to account."

According to CPJ research, 141 journalists have been killed in Iraq since the US invasion in 2003.

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