BAGHDAD, Nov. 16 (Xinhua) -- A female reporter working for paramilitary Hashd Shaabi brigade was killed on Thursday in Iraq's western province of Anbar, the Iraqi military said.
Rana al-Ajili, a reporter with the 13th Brigade of the Hashd Shaabi, was killed, and Muntadhar Adel, a cameraman of the brigade, was wounded while covering the battles against the Islamic State (IS) militants near the border with Syria, the Hashd Shaabi said in a statement.
The incident came as the Iraqi forces are carrying out an offensive to free the last urban IS stronghold in Iraq near the Iraqi-Syrian border.
The Iraqi army, Counter-Terrorism Service (CTS) forces, backed by the Hashd Shaabi brigades, have liberated large areas, including the city of al-Qaim and nearby border crossing, from IS militants since the start of the offensive on Oct. 26.
Earlier, the Iraqi Journalists' Syndicate said in a report that more than 456 journalists have been killed in the country since the U.S.-led invasion in 2003.
Iraq is considered one of the most dangerous countries for journalists, who have been frequently targeted by the chaos and insecurity since the invasion toppled Saddam Hussein.
