The following is an editorial reflecting the views of the United States government:
Abdul Hussein Khazal al-Basri and his three-year-old son Mohammed were shot and killed as they left their home in the southern Iraqi city of Basra. Mr. al-Basri was a correspondent for al-Hurra, the Arab language, U.S.-funded satellite television network. Al-Hurra was launched in February 2004 to bring objective news and information to people in the Middle East. As President George W. Bush said, al-Hurra was created to "cut through the hateful propaganda that fills the airwaves in the Muslim world." U.S. State Department deputy spokesman Adam Ereli commented on the murder of the al-Hurra reporter:
"Abdul Hussein, like so many other journalists working in Iraq, risked their lives so that others around the world may have a better understanding of the historic changes underway, and also a better understanding of the true face of terror that is committed to preventing people like Abdul Hussein and scores of innocent Iraqis from speaking out, from expressing their views, from participating in deciding their future."
Mr. Ereli says the murder of Abdul Hussein Khazal al-Basri and other journalists is part of an effort to destroy Iraq's new freedom:
"Incidents like this can only serve to remind us of what we're all fighting for in Iraq, and I think should provide us occasion to redouble our resolve and commitment to ensuring that those who practice these kinds of outrages don't succeed."
Since the overthrow of Saddam Hussein, terrorists have carried out numerous suicide bombings, kidnappings, and beheadings, all in an effort to undermine Iraq's stability and reconstruction. But the recent national assembly elections in Iraq show that most Iraqis want a future based on democratic values and freedom. President Bush says the Iraqi people "have refused to be intimidated by thugs and assassins. And they have demonstrated the kind of courage that is always the foundation of self-government."
