Qaeda-Linked Group Claims Attack on Iraq TV Station

An Al-Qaeda-linked militant group claimed an attack on an Iraqi television station headquarters that killed five journalists, while the UN and US Tuesday condemned the targeting of media in Iraq.Iraq Attacks

It said two militants took part in the attack on Monday, although police said four suicide bombers assaulted the channel’s headquarters in Tikrit, north of Baghdad.

The attack killed five of the channel’s journalists — the chief news editor, a copy editor, a producer, a presenter and the archives manager — and wounded five more employees.

“I am increasingly and gravely concerned about the targeting of journalists by terrorist elements during the past few weeks,” United Nations envoy Nickolay Mladenov said Tuesday.

“This latest blatant act of terrorism at the Tikrit television station should be properly investigated and measures taken to prevent such heinous acts in future.

“I call upon the Iraqi government and (parliament) to ensure that adequate protection is provided to journalists and media outlets in Iraq,” the UN envoy added.

The US embassy in Baghdad also condemned the attack.

“This is the latest of several recent attempts by the so-called Al-Qaeda in Iraq organization to intimidate journalists and other members of the media,” it said.

More than 6,650 people have been killed in Iraq since the beginning of the year, according to AFP figures based on security and medical sources.