ABCNEWS Cameraman Killed in Iraq

B A G H D A D, Iraq, March 26, 2004 -- An Iraqi cameraman working for ABCNEWS was killed today while covering a firefight between U.S. Marines and insurgents in the central Iraqi city of Fallujah.

Burhan Mohammed Mazhour, an Iraqi citizen born in 1969, had been working for ABCNEWS as a freelance cameraman for almost two months.

He died of gunshot wounds sustained during heavy firefighting in the restive Iraqi city. It was unclear who killed him.

One U.S. Marine was killed in the operation and several others were wounded, a U.S. military source told ABCNEWS. But there were no further details available.

Besides Mazhour, four other Iraqis were killed in Fallujah, according to The Associated Press.

In a statement released in New York today, ABCNEWS president David Westin said the news organization has asked the U.S. military to investigate the incident.

"We will miss Burhan's dedication and professionalism," said Westin. "Our thoughts and prayers are with his family."

Iraqi doctors said that Mazhour was struck by a single bullet to the head. He was rushed to a hospital, where he later died.

Heavy Fighting

According to The Associated Press, hospital officials said four other Iraqis were killed in Fallujah, including a shopowner, a customer and two bystanders. Six other Iraqis were wounded. The U.S. military had no comment on the casualties.

The fighting occurred in the town of Fallujah in the so-called Sunni Triangle in central Iraq, where rebels often carry out attacks against American forces. The fighting began when U.S. forces encountered insurgents during house-to-house searches in the center of the city, according to witnesses.

U.S. troops rarely venture into downtown Fallujah, one of the most dangerous areas in Iraq for the U.S. military. Explosions and gunfire could be heard in the city as U.S. forces sealed off the city to outsiders.

According to The Associated Press, the city was largely deserted with shops shuttered after the firefight. But the city continues to be sealed and a U.S. military official told ABCNEWS the operation in Fallujah was ongoing.

Earlier this week, U.S. Marines took over authority in Fallujah and surrounding areas from the U.S. Army's 82nd Airborne Division.

Elsewhere today, in northern Iraq, insurgents bombed an oil well, sparking a fire that raged for several hours before being extinguished, according to a senior Iraqi official.

ABCNEWS' John Berman in Baghdad contributed to this report.