On 23 February Al Jazeera issued the following statement:
It is with great sadness that Al Jazeera Channel received news on the death of our colleague Atwar Bahjat and two of her associates Adnan Khairalla and Khalid Mahmood.
Atwar was currently a correspondent for Al Arabiya but had previously worked for Al Jazeera as a correspondent in Baghdad from July 2003 until January 2006. She was a distinguished journalist and an extremely popular and well-known personality across the Arab world. Al Jazeera condemns in the strongest manner possible Atwars killing and the targeting of journalists in Iraq and elsewhere in the world.
Atwar is remembered here as extremely brave, said Wadah Khanfar, Managing Director of Al Jazeera, Journalists from all nations are increasingly being targeted in conflict zones and journalists like Atwar have to walk a fine line in presenting the truth while understanding the sometimes dangerous consequences they face. Atwar is sadly the latest in a series of killings of journalists in Iraq. Journalists go to places and report on matters which the ordinary citizen cannot be expected to have first-hand knowledge and this role for journalists is essential for the proper functioning of democratic societies across the world. If a balanced journalist like Atwar could be killed while practicing her profession, we have to ask what has become of journalism in Iraq. More measures need to be in place to protect journalists from across the world.
Atwar Bahjat distinguished herself at Al Jazeera covering the formation of several Iraqi governments, the daily life of Baghdad amidst unrelenting violence, ethnic tensions in Kirkuk, over a month of clashes in Najaf and Karbala, events in Kirkuk, Falluja, Erbil, and many other Iraqi cities.
Al Jazeera mourns the loss of Atwar Bahjat a beloved journalist, friend, and colleague.