French journalist dies in Mosul after being heavily wounded by IS bomb

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan24) – A French journalist died in Mosul after being heavily injured, along with two other journalists, after a booby-trap planted by the Islamic State (IS) exploded, French television broadcasters said on Tuesday.

A landmine blast in the western Iraqi city of Mosul on Monday also killed Kurdish journalist and interpreter Bakhtiyar Haddad.

The explosion also injured French journalists Samuel Forey, Stephane Villeneuve, and Véronique Robert.

On Tuesday, Villeneuve succumbed to his critical wounds, French news outlets reported.

“The management and staff at France Televisions sympathize with the pain of his partner Sophie, his four children, his family, and all those he was close to,” the head of the news department said in a statement.

“They offer their most sincere condolences,” the report added.

Forey, who was one of the injured journalists, expressed his despair through a post on his Twitter account.

“I am ok. I am immensely saddened for Bakhtiyar and my colleagues. Please do [not] try to contact me in the next few days,” he wrote.

On Sunday, Iraqi forces launched a fresh offensive to liberate the Old City of Mosul which is labeled the last stronghold of the insurgent group in the area.

IS emerged in northern Iraq in June 2014 and occupied large swaths of territory in the country.

Three years later, the militant group has lost most of the territory it once controlled and continues to shrink.

Editing by Karzan Sulaivany