Libyan Photojournalist Killed By Shelling During Tripoli Clashes

New York — The killing of freelancer Mohamed Ben Khalifa in Libya underscores the dangers for photojournalists working in conflict zones, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Ben Khalifa, a photographer who contributed to outlets including The Associated Press, was killed during clashes south of Tripoli on January 19, according to news reports, local press organizations and the United Nations Support Mission in Libya.

Ben Khalifa, 35, was accompanying a militia patrolling the Qaser Ben Ghashir area south of Tripoli when the group came under attack, according to news reports. Ben Khalifa died of wounds sustained by shrapnel from a shell fired at the militia, according to the reports. The reports did not specify which outlet Ben Khalifa was on assignment for at the time of the attack, or specify which militia he was accompanying. A friend of the photojournalist, who requested anonymity, told CPJ that Ben Khalifa was accompanying a militia known as the Tripoli Protection Force, which is loyal to the Tripoli-based U.N.-backed Government of National Accord.

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