Tim Hetherington Photojournalist Killed In Libya

Firebase Phoenix/Photo US Army

The Civil War in Libya has struck home for Vanity Fair Magazine and the photojournalism community in general when award winning photojournalist Tim Hetherington was killed in a mortar attack in Misrata, Libya today . According to an article by Vanity Fair reported his death and listed three other journalists as wounded.

Chris Hondos a photographer for Getty , Guy Martin of the Panos Agency where both seriously wounded with Mr. Martin being listed in very serious condition, and Michael Brown a freelancer was slightly wounded in the same attack. Hetherington, 40 who was an American and British citizen was best known for his work in Afghanistan, won the World Press Photo of the Year Award in 2007 for his work covering American soldiers in the Korengal Valley.

The Korengal Valley is located south of the Pech River in the Pech District of Kunar Province in northeastern Afghanistan. To the east is Asadabad, capital of Kunar Province, to the west is the Chapa Dara District, and to the south is the Chawkay District (Diwagal Valley). In the south east there is Narang wa Badil District (Badeil Valley), and in the south west Nurgal District (Mazar Valley), which includes Shumast Aret.

Firebase Phoenix (later called Firebase Vimoto) was established in the village of Babeyal to act as a security buffer between the villagers and active anti-coalition militia (ACM) fighters in the valley. Firebase Phoenix was established in the Spring of 2007 by 2nd Platoon, A Company, 1-32d Infantry, 10th Mountain Division, while fighting waged in the villages and mountains. Medical aid was brought to the surrounding villages. The Firebase Phoenix (Vimoto) is the area that Hetherington was covering when he won the 2007 award. He had also created short films about the G.I.’s he encountered in the Korengal and released a book of photographs, Infidel, examining the lives of the men of a battle company of the 173rd Airborne.

Vanity Fair released a statement from Hetherington's family Wednesday. "It is with great sadness we learned that our son and brother, photographer and filmmaker Tim Hetherington, was killed today in Misrata, Libya, by a rocket-propelled grenade," the statement said. "Tim will be remembered for his amazing images and his Academy Award-nominated documentary 'Restrepo.'

James Hider, Middle East correspondent for the Times of London, told CNN the four journalists were documenting fighting on Tripoli Street in Misrata.

After Hetherington's death, Jalal al Gallal, a spokesman for the rebels, issued a statement saying, "This is no longer the Gadhafi regime taking on Libya's people. This is Gadhafi taking on the world. He has spared no one, not women, not children, not journalists. This is now everybody's war."

Various news agencies are also reporting the frustration felt  by the rebels fighting Gadhafi because of the lack of response by NATO in protecting the citizens living in Misrata from forces loyal to Gadhafi. In my oppionon this demonstrates the ineffectiveness of NATO and the United Nations operating on the world stage, and though Americans are burned out from being the police force of the world, it just show's that the United States is the only entity that can do it.