This is an old article archived from AsiaMedia at UCLA..quite interesting to read
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SINGAPORE: Singapore photographer braves Iraq
Besides looking for great angles to take a shot of events in Iraq, Singaporean photographer Roslan Rahman also keeps an eye out for snipers, suicide bombers and explosive traps by the road
The Straits Times
Tuesday, June 15, 2004
By Goh Chin Lian
Besides looking for great angles to take a shot of events in Iraq, Singaporean photographer Roslan Rahman also keeps an eye out for snipers, suicide bombers and explosive traps by the road.
This is his daily routine since arriving in the battle-torn country a week ago on assignment for news agency Agence France Presse (AFP).
Mr Roslan, 42, is embedded with coalition troops camped on the outskirts of the city of Karbala, about 100 km south of Baghdad.
'I have to put on a bullet-proof jacket and helmet when I'm with the soldiers during their patrol in the city. I always stay away from open areas and close to the soldiers,' he told The Straits Times in an e-mail interview.
The violence has killed 17 foreign and Iraqi journalists this year. They were ambushed by gunmen on the road, killed by suicide bombers, or shot in firefights, including from coalition troops.
The statistics do not scare Mr Roslan, who has been with AFP for 19 years and covered the war in Afghanistan in which United States-led forces sought Al-Qaeda holdouts, in Operation Anaconda two years ago.
He said: 'I want to see what it's like being in a country at war and to experience the conflict. My family has no worries since I like this job.'
As a measure of the risks he faces, he is insured 10 years of his salary for his latest assignment.
On his first night patrol with the troops, he came upon insurgents firing at a Polish patrol convoy vehicle.
He said: 'Being embedded is the safest. The soldiers have weapons to return fire in case of an ambush. They are my shield and security.'
Being embedded with the 1st Battalion of the 37th Armoured Division also means he gets to rub shoulders with the soldiers, take the same meals and stay in the same tents, which have power supplies and air-conditioning, as temperatures hit 46 deg C.
He is also clued in on what the troops are going to do and follows them around in their Humvee vehicle.
Before being given the position, he had to sign a document promising not to reveal any information before the task was done, he said.
'I cannot talk to a suspect, I cannot show clear images of their faces and I cannot photograph certain combat vehicles' equipment.'
Mr Roslan has taken pictures of soldiers in bulletproof jackets guarding the streets, Iraqis trading rifles for cash, and children waiting with their mothers for free medical help from the troops' doctors.
'What strikes me most are the people: the women and the children. They are suffering the most with no water supply and electricity.
'The people in Karbala welcome the soldiers. It's probably the safest city in Iraq.'
Mr Roslan will be in Iraq for at least six weeks, and he won't let his guard down.
'People in Iraq are friendly but you never know. You just have to be careful with the people around you, even with the driver or translator, and be alert on the road.'
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