A Dutch photojournalist was killed by an Islamic State sniper Sunday in Sirte, Libya, a spokesman for the Al-Bunyan Al-Marsous military operation said.
Jeroen Oerlemans was shot in the chest and died immediately. In July 2012, Oerlemans was abducted, along with British photojournalist John Cantlie, by militants in Syria, and released one week later. Cantlie was abducted again later that year with American journalist James Foley, and remains a hostage. The Committee to Protect Journalists says Oerlemans is the 10th journalist, plus one media worker, to be killed in Libya since 2011. "Journalists have recently begun returning in greater numbers to Libya to cover the conflict and political upheaval, but it remains an extraordinarily dangerous place," CPJ Deputy Executive Director Robert Mahoney said. "The death of Jeroen Oerlemans is a reminder that those who bring us images and video from the front lines often pay the heaviest price."
Sirte is one of the last strongholds ISIS has in Libya, and as U.S.-backed militias launch offensives, ISIS fighters are leaving behind IEDs and using more snipers to try to kill people, CNN reports.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Fannie Flagg’s 6 favorite books that sparked her imaginationFeature The author recommends works by Johanna Spyri, John Steinbeck, and more
-
Google: A monopoly past its prime?Feature Google’s antitrust case ends with a slap on the wrist as courts struggle to keep up with the tech industry’s rapid changes
-
Patrick Hemingway: The Hemingway son who tended to his father’s legacyFeature He was comfortable in the shadow of his famous father, Ernest Hemingway
-
British warship repels 'largest Houthi attack to date' in the Red SeaSpeed read Western allies warn of military response to Iranian-backed Yemeni rebels if attacks on ships continue
-
Houthi rebels claim Red Sea ship attacksspeed read Iran-backed Yemeni group vows to escalate aggression towards Israel-linked vessels in revenge for Gaza war
-
Israel plans next phase of Gaza war as first hostages releasedSpeed read After four-day ceasefire 'we will not stop' until destruction of Hamas, says Israel
-
Mob storms Russian airport 'looking for Jews'Speed Read Plane from Israel surrounded by rioters chanting antisemitic slogans after landing in Russia's Dagestan region
-
Tuberville's military promotions block is upending lives, combat readiness, 3 military branch chiefs saySpeed Read
-
Ukraine's counteroffensive is making incremental gains. Does it matter in the broader war?Speed Read
-
US commissions first-ever Navy ship in a foreign portSpeed Read
-
British spy chief, Wagner video suggest Prigozhin is alive and freely 'floating around'Speed Read
