A Kurdish reporter lauded for her bravery and compassion was killed by a roadside bomb in Iraq.
Pictures and expressions of grief flooded Twitter of war journalist Shifa Gardi, who was chronicling battles against ISIS.
She had previously rescued a wounded rabbit and became a well known figure in Iraqi war reporting. Her employer, Rudaw TV, wrote, “Shifa Gardi was one of Rudaw’s most daring journalists. She was known as a renowned skilled journalist in Kurdish news media, and brought outstanding coverage to Rudaw TV right from the beginning of its establishment.”
Here’s what you need to know:
1. Gardi Was a Female Pioneer in Journalism in Iraq
According to BBC, Gardi “had broken the stereotypes of male-dominated journalism.”
The news site labeled her a “daring journalist” who had recently started covering the battle for Mosul. According to Rudaw TV, Gardi was killed while reporting on the war “in different parts of western half of Mosul where Iraqi forces have launched a fresh offensive about a week ago to reclaim the last major stronghold of the ISIS group.”
She had reported of people fleeing ISIS by bus after climbing on one of the buses, saying, according to Rudaw TV, “Five buses, fraught with people, including a majority of women and children have run away. Their situation is miserable and have left everything,” said added aboard one such bus.”
2. She Once Rescued an Injured Rabbit on TV
To many, Gardi’s compassion was exemplified by her rescue of a rabbit from the midst of war.
After finding the rabbit, Gardi told viewers of Rudaw TV, where she worked, “The rabbit is suffering from malnutrition which has caused visible damage to its face. I brought it back with me. We will be treating the rabbit and then give it to an animal protection agency which is willing to look after it,” BBC said.
Rudaw TV reported that the rabbit rescue occurred just four days before Gardi died.
3. Gardi Was Killed by a Roadside Bomb
The roadside bomb that killed Gardi also wounded a cameraman.
Rudaw TV reported that Gardi was covering “the heavy clashes between the advancing Iraqi forces and the ISIS militants” when she “was killed by a roadside bomb in Mosul on Saturday afternoon, and her cameraman Younis Mustafa injured in the same attack.” She died on February 25.
4. Gardi Was Born a Refugee in Iran
Many people turned to social media to grieve the loss of the young war reporter. Her co-workers expressed grief over her body.
People called her “one of the brave women standing up to ISIS.” According to Rudaw TV, “Shifa Zikri Ibrahim, also known as Shifa Gardi, was born a refugee in Iran on 1 July 1986. She was a graduate of media department from Salahaddin University in Erbil. She started her media career in 2006, and joined Rudaw Media Network since the beginning of its foundation.”
5. People Pledged to Continue on Gardi’s Fight Against ISIS
Gardi was chronicling the Kurdish fighters efforts to stop ISIS.
Gardi had recently posted that she hoped her followers would have a safe New Year.