Unidentified

Al-Sabah

August 27, 2006, in Baghdad, Iraq

A guard employed by the state-run daily newspaper Al-Sabah was killed when an explosive-packed car detonated in the building's garage at about 8:30 a.m. The blast killed another, unidentified person, injured 20 others, and caused severe damage to the newspaper building in Baghdad's northern Waziriya district, Al-Sabah sources told CPJ.

CPJ sources said at least 25 cars belonging to the paper were destroyed; Reuters reported that two cars were blown though one wall of the paper's building. The newspaper's production department and the offices of Shabaqeh magazine, an Al-Sabahpublication housed in the same building, were extensively damaged, according to CPJ sources.

Insurgents have frequently targeted Al-Sabah and other state-run media because of their ties to the U.S.-supported Iraqi government. Insurgents have killed at least 16 state media employees since 2004, and the offices of Al-Sabah and other state-run media outlets have repeatedly come under attack.

Media Support Worker: In 2003, CPJ began documenting the deaths of vital media employees such as translators, drivers, fixers, and administrative workers.