Remembering a Fallen Colleague
Today, at least 56 people were killed and 98 others wounded, when a gang of men attacked an Iraqi government building in the northern city of Tikrit. Among those killed in the attack was Sabah al-Bazee, a freelance journalist who worked for a number of news organizations, including CNN.
CNN Producers Mohammed Tawfeeq, Yousuf Basil and Jomana Karadsheh wrote this blog entry, remembering our fallen colleague:
When people ask us what it’s like being a journalist in Iraq, the answer would probably be much more upbeat on any other day.
Whenever bombs go off in Iraq, we get on the phone to sources to get casualty figures and details. But when Mohammed confirmed the dozens killed and wounded in the horrific siege in Tikrit on Tuesday, he didn’t realize for an hour that one of those killed was someone he has known for years.
Today, we mourn a colleague and a friend— Sabah al-Bazee.
Sabah was one of the many brave Iraqi journalists whose courage and skills made him one of the best local reporters in the deadliest war for journalists since World War II. Sabah has been a freelance contributor for CNN in the northern province of Salaheddin since 2006. One of his first assignments for us was covering the bombing of al-Askari Shrine in his hometown of Samarra that year; an attack that unleashed the country’s vicious sectarian war.
He reported for us from Tikrit and Samarra at the height of the brutal war, the days when al-Qaeda controlled many cities, including his own. But it was not only al-Qaeda that targeted journalists. Many other groups were also hunting down the media.
But Sabah survived those days, and so did his sense of humor.
Sabah would always want to joke and make us laugh. Even when you would wait for him to pick up the phone, you would get a recorded joke.
He was one of the most outgoing and proactive stringers we had. Most of the time, Sabah would call and give us the news before we’d call him asking about it.
Sabah’s English was not great, but he tried. Sometimes he would try holding a conversation with us in English and recently he started trying to write us a news report in English.
Jomana remembers a trip to a U.S. military base in Tikrit in 2008, where she met up with Sabah.
Because this was in his province, Sabah displayed the renowned Iraqi hospitality.
After lunch, he grabbed some fruit and put it in Jomana’s bag. She did not find it until hours later, when she got back to Baghdad.Like most Iraqis we know and we work with, Sabah has hesitated for years about leaving Iraq to escape the threats and the violence - because he loved his country.
But a few weeks ago, Sabah asked Mohammed for his help and finally applied for asylum in the U.S., saying:
“I don’t want to live in Iraq ...at least not in the next five years... It is going to be very difficult.”
While Iraq today is not the Iraq of three or four years ago, it still is a place where hundreds are killed and wounded every month.
It is still a place where you can leave your home in the morning and never come back. Just like Sabah did today.
Today, we mourn a colleague and a friend— yet another one.
Sabah al-Bazee turned 30 one week ago today.
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Allah will put a stop to all this tragedy thing that is happening in Iraq one day INSHA'ALLAH AMEEN.
Rest in peace bro.
What a great lost to jourlist, what a great lost to contemporary mass communicators, what a great lost to CNN and what very great lost to Iraq and to his family. May Almighty Allah grant him Aljannatul Firidausi, and i believe the government of Iraq will do something for his family and CNN.
nothing in iraq is important enuf to lose your life over.nobody cares.a smart guy would get the hell out.
it so said to hear about these unfortunate death.
What a tragedy? I think US particularly and to some certain extent UN, NATO should be able to learn from history that thier third party interventions in wars causes more harm than good and if really such intervention is geared towards protecting the lifes of the poor masses then, a close study of the negative repercussions of all the interventions should be made. The situations in Iraq, Afganistan, middle east, Libya etc ll continue to deteriate because the third party(s) is or has been self centered. Do not enforce yourself or government on others because others will prefer dying with many than to be ruled by such.
It's hard to find these kind of cases, I'm a colombian journalist and in here that used to happen a lot some ages ago, although, for example almost 8 years ago the subdirector of "la Patria" a local newspaper in Manizales was killed because of a serie of investigations about corruption in the local goverment, and just until today 2 of the suspects of that crime are being procesed by the authorities. Impunity that's the word that describes a lot of things of our journalist's world, but apart of that we absolute love our job. RIP Sabah al-Bazee.
May his soul rest in peace.
I think his contribution to media was enormous in terms of providing important news sources. I an sorry he passed away in his age of 30... too young.... May he rest his soul...
He showed courage and dedication being willing to report in a country at war like Iraq is, and I am sorry the world has obviously lost a great journalist.
I'm sorry for this lad's family and friends. I am also sorry for the nameless faceless men and women who have died all through this mess. I am so tired of all the killing and misery in this world. RIP.
It's profoundly sad when you connect with the idea that these aren't just casualties were are hearing about. These are people with names, faces, friends, quirks, favorite foods, dreams and their own daily ordeals that they plow through every single day in the name of making tomorrow better for themselves or others. That someone – anyone – be denied all of that because of violence is heartbreaking. I want to thank the writers here for sharing their memories so generously and in a way that breathes life into Sabah for us tonight that he is so unfairly denied himself. We need to read these things. Thank you for sharing it and please accept my condolences for the loss of your friend and teammate.
I just want to extend my condolence to family,relatives & friends of Sabah al-Bazee.May his soul & souls of all the faithful departed rest in peace Amen.