TV Camerman Wounded In Syria, Flees To Safety In Turkey
A TV camerman was wounded in Syria on Monday, suffering a gunshot to the leg while filming on the front lines in the embattled city of Aleppo.
Ayman al-Sahili, a Libyan citizen, was working as part of a multi-media team with Reuters when he was hit by a bullet fired from a distance. After being wounded, the TV cameraman was treated in Syria before being driven across the border to Turkey. His injuries are not believed to be life-threatening.
Even after being wounded in Syria, the TV cameraman’s ordeal was not over. While the ambulance was transporting Sahili back to Turkey, it encountered an air strike in Aleppo and had to swerve into an alley until it was safe to continue.
The ambulance transporting Sahili to Turkey encountered an air strike in Aleppo and maneuvered into an alley until it was safe to continue the journey. The city is largely in the hand of a band of rebels, but government forces are still in control of some pockets and the two sides often clash there.
The 21-month civil war in Syria has been one of the longest and bloodiest conflicts to arise from the so-called Arab Spring, in which citizens in many nations stood up against their governments. During that period, an estimated 45,000 people have been killed.
The TV cameraman wounded in Syria marks another incident in a country that has become very dangerous for journalists. In 2012 there were 28 journalists killed there, the watchdog group Committee to Protect Journalists reported. A total of 70 journalists were killed worldwide.
