Two Iraqi journalists were killed at a little after 7 pm this evening exiting the Green Zone when gun men opened fire. There was also an unconfirmed report of an IED at the gate following the attack. The journalists had attended the same press briefing I attended, and apparently exited the same gate that I generally exit. I was running a few minutes late today due to a radio interview. Let’s hear it for providence. A woman who was apparently traveling with them but was not shot nonetheless lay collapsed in shock when I arrived. The gate was closed, so I returned to the building, only to find another women who knew the reporters hysterical--crying, screaming, and ultimately throwing up from the shock.

The targeting of Iraqi reporters will inevitably help the terrorist cause--in terms of making the insurgence appear larger, and inflicting more random terror--because the killing will garner a great deal of media attention here in Iraq.