French TV reporter wiped out in Syria

LONDON -- French television journalist Gilles Jacquier was wiped out Wednesday within the town of Homs, Syria. He's the very first Western journalist to become wiped out in the united states since protests started 10 several weeks ago. Jacquier, who labored for funnel France 2, was among several 15 journalists talking with government supporters once they received attack from rocket grenades. An un named Nederlander journalist was hurt, and eight Syrian ordinary people were also wiped out. Jacquier was a part of a government-approved visit to the nation, France 2 stated. Jacquier would be a seasoned foreign correspondent, who had covered conflicts in Iraq, Afghanistan, Kosovo and Algeria. He won among France's top journalism awards, the Prix Albert Londres, in 2003, and acquired another award, the Jean-Louis Calderon prize, last year. Bertrand Coq, who won the Prix Albert Londres with him, told AFP: "He was a great war reporter. He was courageous. He was the type of individual who stuck his neck out, but he never required unnecessary risks." Jacquier was "among the best reporters in France 2 a fantastic guy," Thierry Thuillier, news director at pubcaster France Televisions, which runs France 2, stated. "Many of us are in shock. We will miss him a great deal.Inch In France They government known as to have an analysis in to the attack, and stated its ambassador would visit Homs. "We intensely condemn this odious act," French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe stated inside a statement. "It's as much as Syrian government bodies to guarantee the security of worldwide journalists within their territory, and also to safeguard this fundamental liberty the freedom of knowledge.Inch Syria is infamously hard for Western journalists to gain access to, and individuals which are permitted in are carefully supervised through the regime. Homs has seen a few of the country's greatest anti-government protests, and also the military has held lower difficult on the town, leading to many civilian deaths. The U.N. estimations that 5,000 individuals have been wiped out in Syria because the protests began. Contact Leo Barraclough at leo.barraclough@variety.com