Skip to main content

News

Obituary: Muhanad Mohamed

Muhanad Mohamed, pictured, first a driver and then a reporter in Reuters' Baghdad bureau for eight years, was killed by a car bomb while watching a Shi'ite pilgrimage near his home in southern Baghdad on 19 December.

His death occurred as violence in Iraq reaches levels not seen since the worst of the sectarian bloodshed of 2006-07. The bomb also killed at least another dozen people. 

“Muhanad began his Reuters career as a driver – a crucial role in a country where our reporting teams are out on the streets risking their lives every day,” writes Peter Graff.

“Through dedication and hard work he developed his English language writing skills and knowledge of the country to the point where he was invited to join the editorial team as a correspondent in 2009-2010. After leaving Reuters he worked as a journalist for Iraqi media. 

“Muhanad leaves behind three sons, including one who was severely injured  in the blast, and a wife expecting a fourth child. He will always be remembered for his gentle manner and infectious smile, and he was a well-loved member of our closely-knit Baghdad team, which has lost so many members over the past decade. His death is particularly terrible for the Reuters Iraq family following the death of former cameraman Yasser Faisal about two weeks earlier.”

Past and present Reuters staff are invited to contribute to a fund for his family at You caring. ■