NEWS RELEASEHEADQUARTERS UNITED STATES CENTRAL COMMAND 7115 South Boundary Boulevard MacDill AFB, Fla. 33621-5101 Phone: (813) 827-5894; FAX: (813) 827-2211; DSN 651-5894 |
November 3, 2004
Release Number: 04-11-08
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
ARAB MEDIA DEPART FALLUJAH; INTIMIDATION CITED
BAGHDAD, IRAQ - Quds Arab-language news wire service in recent days has reported that four Arab-language media outlets have been forced from the city of Fallujah by Anti-Iraqi Forces.
According to Quds, Al-Arabiya, Middle East Broadcasting Company, Lebanese Broadcasting Company and Al-Iraqiyah television were forced from Fallujah by Anti-Iraqi Forces because they were accused of providing biased coverage to Coalition forces by refusing to air insurgent stock footage of alleged civilian casualties. In discussions with Coalition officials, reporters from both Al Arabiya and MBC acknowledged threats to correspondents and indicated that some correspondents had withdrawn from Fallujah for their own safety and were reporting via phone from outside the city.
Saturday, seven people were killed and 19 wounded when a car bomb exploded outside the Baghdad offices of Al-Arabiya, the Dubai-based TV network. A web post claimed responsibility for the bombing on the Al-Izah bulletin board (http://www.alezah.com) in the name of the '1920 Revolution Brigades', and another post to the Arab Dialogue Forum (http://www.hdrmut.net/vb) claimed the attack on behalf of the Jihad Martyrs Companies in Iraq.
Shootings, abductions and other acts of intimidation by Iraqi insurgents have made it difficult for journalists to operate and report freely.
-30-
|
NEWSLETTER
|
| Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list |
|
|
|
