US forces detain Reuters photographer in Iraq

AFP, September, 2008

BAGHDAD (AFP) — Ibrahim Jassam, an Iraqi photographer working for Anglo-Canadian news group Reuters, has been arrested by American forces just south of Baghdad, the US military and the agency told AFP Wednesday.

"He has been detained because he has been assessed to be a threat to the security of Iraq and coalition forces," US army lieutenant Patrick Evans told AFP in an email.

A statement issued by Reuters said: "Ibrahim Jassam, an Iraqi who has supplied photos and video to Reuters on a freelance basis for about two years, was detained in a raid on his home in Mahmudiya by US and Iraqi forces early on Tuesday morning."

Following Jassam's arrest in Mahmudiyah, Reuters demanded he be released or charged.

Mahmudiyah lies in the "the triangle of death," a region once known for its extreme violence although the violence has now ebbed following a recent overall drop ...