A television cameraman working for The Associated Press was killed Saturday in a gunfire in Iraq's northern city of Mosul, and an AP photographer was wounded in the same incident, said the agency.

The AP identified the victims, both Iraqis, as AP television cameraman Saleh Ibrahim and photographer Mohammed Ibrahim, who went to report on an explosion in Mosul, about 390 km north of Baghdad, before gunfire broke out at the site.

Both Ibrahim were hit in the shooting and taken to hospital. Saleh Ibrahim, a father of five, was treated for three bullet wounds to the chest and died shortly after arrival. Mohammed Ibrahim was treated for shrapnel wounds to the back of the head, said AP.

"We are grief-stricken at the news of Saleh Ibrahim's death," said AP President and CEO Tom Curley. "His fervent dedication to reporting the complete story of Iraq at this historic moment inspired all who knew and worked with him. Our deepest sympathy goes to his family."

Saleh Ibrahim was the second journalist who lost his life covering stories for the AP since the United States launched the Iraq war in 2003.

Ismail Taher Mohsin, an Iraqi driver who worked for the AP, wasambushed by gunmen and killed near his home in Baghdad last September.

The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists says at least 39 reporters have died in Iraq over the past two years.

Source: Xinhua