fantassin
01-27-2004, 01:12 PM
2 CNN employees killed in attack
Tuesday, January 27, 2004 Posted: 12:44 PM EST (1744 GMT)
BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- Two CNN employees were killed, and a third was lightly wounded Tuesday afternoon when the cars they were traveling in came under fire.
The employees were returning to Baghdad in a two-car convoy from an assignment in the southern city of Hillah, when they were ambushed on the outskirts of town.
The vehicles were headed north toward Baghdad when a rust-colored Opel approached from behind. A single gunman with an AK-47, standing through the sunroof, opened fire on one of the vehicles.
Translator and producer Duraid Isa Mohammed and driver Yasser Khatab died of multiple gunshot wounds.
Cameraman Scott McWhinnie, in another vehicle, was grazed in the head by a bullet.
Correspondent Michael Holmes, producer Shirley Hung, a security adviser and a second driver were traveling with McWhinnie and were not hurt.
The CNN crew in McWhinnie's vehicle drove to an Iraqi police station and asked officers to go back to the scene to help Mohammed and Khatab, who were last seen driving off the highway.
The crew then drove to a forward operations base of the U.S. 82nd Airborne, where McWhinnie was treated, and the U.S. military sent a team to find the missing CNN employees.
Iraqi police found the car with the bodies of Mohammed and Khatab.
Khatab and Mohammed both joined CNN a year ago.
Tuesday, January 27, 2004 Posted: 12:44 PM EST (1744 GMT)
BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- Two CNN employees were killed, and a third was lightly wounded Tuesday afternoon when the cars they were traveling in came under fire.
The employees were returning to Baghdad in a two-car convoy from an assignment in the southern city of Hillah, when they were ambushed on the outskirts of town.
The vehicles were headed north toward Baghdad when a rust-colored Opel approached from behind. A single gunman with an AK-47, standing through the sunroof, opened fire on one of the vehicles.
Translator and producer Duraid Isa Mohammed and driver Yasser Khatab died of multiple gunshot wounds.
Cameraman Scott McWhinnie, in another vehicle, was grazed in the head by a bullet.
Correspondent Michael Holmes, producer Shirley Hung, a security adviser and a second driver were traveling with McWhinnie and were not hurt.
The CNN crew in McWhinnie's vehicle drove to an Iraqi police station and asked officers to go back to the scene to help Mohammed and Khatab, who were last seen driving off the highway.
The crew then drove to a forward operations base of the U.S. 82nd Airborne, where McWhinnie was treated, and the U.S. military sent a team to find the missing CNN employees.
Iraqi police found the car with the bodies of Mohammed and Khatab.
Khatab and Mohammed both joined CNN a year ago.