I saw this yesterday, and refrained from writing about it at the time out of respect for Namir and his family. I'm always troubled when journalists are killed in action, but I think that
the points raised by Rusty are valid. There
have been occasions in which journalists are either acting in concert with, or otherwise supporting the militants who they purport to document. The militants, of course, are also very happy to have a human shield around to hide behind, and said insurgents are
always quick to capitalize on the death of any such civilian as a "war crime" committed by an "occupying" force.
I will say this: It is currently
not entirely clear what the circumstances surrounding his death are yet, but it is almost certainly too early to pin the entire blame on the United States.
I understand the angst on Reuters' part when one of their colleagues are killed, but I don't think it's appropriate to rush to use his death as an excuse to tar the U.S. military. Even though they are saddened by this tragedy, it is still their corporate duty as
professional truth-seekers to seek out the facts, whatever they may be, and
then draw the conclusions from such.
#TROP