CAIRO - A Japanese journalist has been shot dead at close range in a northern city of war-torn Syria, the Japanese Embassy in Turkey said Monday.
Mika Yamamoto (above), 45, of The Japan Press, an independent news agency, was killed in a gun battle at about 9 p.m. (2 a.m., Tuesday, Singapore) Monday in Aleppo, where government forces and rebels have been locked in intense fighting since late July.
She was traveling with the rebel Free Syrian Army, according to the Foreign Ministry's Japanese Nationals Overseas Safety Division and other sources.
Yamamoto arrived in Syria with Kazutaka Sato, the agency's representative journalist, on Thursday to cover the country's civil war.
Yamamoto was shot in the neck from close range while covering fighting in Aleppo's eastern Suleiman al-Halabi district, where the city's fiercest battles have been occurring.
She was rushed to a hospital in Kilis, a Turkish town on the border with Syria, but was confirmed dead.
"I saw a group of men wearing camouflage coming closer to us," Sato, who escaped unhurt, later told NTV. "Looking at their helmets, I thought they were government forces. I think I shouted to the others, 'Get out of here!'
"At that moment, they started firing at random," he added.
Sato said Yamamoto was probably 20 to 30 meters away from the shooters when she was struck. He did not see her after that, he said.
On Monday, rebel forces posted a video titled, "Japanese news reporter Mika...killed by Assad's shabihas" on YouTube. Shabihas are militia loyal to Syrian President Bashar Assad.
Syrian forces also used helicopters and aircraft to pound rebels in the Suleiman al-Halabi district that day.
Meanwhile, one Turkish and two Arabic journalists went missing in Aleppo on Monday, according to reports.
Yamamoto became the fourth foreign journalist confirmed to have died while covering the conflict in Syria since the uprising against Assad began in March 2011.
Since late July, Aleppo has been a key battleground for government forces and opposition fighters, as rebels have been gaining control of more areas in northern Syria.
Several foreign journalists are believed to have entered Syria via Turkey to cover fighting in the city, the fate of which could influence the future direction of the conflict.
Mika Yamamoto (above), 45, of The Japan Press, an independent news agency, was killed in a gun battle at about 9 p.m. (2 a.m., Tuesday, Singapore) Monday in Aleppo, where government forces and rebels have been locked in intense fighting since late July.
She was traveling with the rebel Free Syrian Army, according to the Foreign Ministry's Japanese Nationals Overseas Safety Division and other sources.
Yamamoto arrived in Syria with Kazutaka Sato, the agency's representative journalist, on Thursday to cover the country's civil war.
Yamamoto was shot in the neck from close range while covering fighting in Aleppo's eastern Suleiman al-Halabi district, where the city's fiercest battles have been occurring.
She was rushed to a hospital in Kilis, a Turkish town on the border with Syria, but was confirmed dead.
"I saw a group of men wearing camouflage coming closer to us," Sato, who escaped unhurt, later told NTV. "Looking at their helmets, I thought they were government forces. I think I shouted to the others, 'Get out of here!'
"At that moment, they started firing at random," he added.
Sato said Yamamoto was probably 20 to 30 meters away from the shooters when she was struck. He did not see her after that, he said.
On Monday, rebel forces posted a video titled, "Japanese news reporter Mika...killed by Assad's shabihas" on YouTube. Shabihas are militia loyal to Syrian President Bashar Assad.
Syrian forces also used helicopters and aircraft to pound rebels in the Suleiman al-Halabi district that day.
Meanwhile, one Turkish and two Arabic journalists went missing in Aleppo on Monday, according to reports.
Yamamoto became the fourth foreign journalist confirmed to have died while covering the conflict in Syria since the uprising against Assad began in March 2011.
Since late July, Aleppo has been a key battleground for government forces and opposition fighters, as rebels have been gaining control of more areas in northern Syria.
Several foreign journalists are believed to have entered Syria via Turkey to cover fighting in the city, the fate of which could influence the future direction of the conflict.
