Anthony Shadid, a gifted foreign correspondent whose graceful dispatches for The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Boston Globe and The Associated Press covered nearly two decades of Middle East conflict and turmoil, died, apparently of an asthma attack, on Thursday while on a reporting assignment in Syria. Tyler Hicks, a Times photographer who was with Mr. Shadid, carried his body across the border to Turkey. Mr. Shadid, 43, had been reporting inside Syria for a week, gathering information on the Free Syrian Army and other armed elements of the resistance to the government of President Bashar al-Assad, whose military forces have been engaged in a harsh repression of the political opposition in a conflict that is now nearly a year old. The Syrian government, which tightly controls foreign journalists’ activities in the country, had not been informed of his assignment by The Times. The exact circumstances of Mr. Shadid’s death and his precise location inside Syria when it happened were not immediately clear. But Mr. Hicks said that Mr. Shadid, who had asthma and had carried medication with him, began to show symptoms as both of them were preparing to leave Syria on Thursday, and the symptoms escalated into what became a fatal attack. Mr. Hicks telephoned his editors at The Times, and a few hours later he was able to take Mr. Shadid’s body into Turkey. Jill Abramson, the executive editor, informed the newspaper’s staff Thursday evening in an e-mail. “Anthony died as he lived — determined to bear witness to the transformation sweeping the Middle East and to testify to the suffering of people caught between government oppression and opposition forces,” she wrote. The assignment in Syria, which Mr. Shadid arranged through a network of smugglers, was fraught with dangers, not the least of which was discovery by the pro-government authorities in Syria. The journey into the country required both Mr. Shadid and Mr. Hicks to travel at night to a mountainous border area in Turkey adjoining Syria’s Idlib Province, where the demarcation line is a barbed-wire fence. Mr. Hicks said they squeezed through the fence’s lower portion by pulling the wires apart, and guides on horseback met them on the other side. It was on that first night, Mr. Hicks said, that Mr. Shadid suffered an initial bout of asthma, apparently set off by an allergy to the horses, but he recovered after resting. On the way out a week later, however, Mr. Shadid suffered a more severe attack — again apparently set off by proximity to the horses of the guides, Mr. Hicks said, as they were walking toward the border. Short of breath, Mr. Shadid leaned against a rock with both hands. “I stood next to him and asked if he was O.K., and then he collapsed,” Mr. Hicks said. “He was not conscious and his breathing was very faint and very shallow.” After a few minutes, he said, “I could see he was no longer breathing.” Mr. Hicks said he administered cardiopulmonary resuscitation for 30 minutes but was unable to revive Mr. Shadid. The death of Mr. Shadid, an American of Lebanese descent who had a wife and two children, abruptly ended one of the most storied careers in modern American journalism. Fluent in Arabic, with a gifted eye for detail and contextual writing, Mr. Shadid captured dimensions of life in the Middle East that many others failed to see. Those talents won him a Pulitzer Prize for international reporting in 2004 for his coverage of the American invasion of Iraq and the occupation that followed, and a second Pulitzer in 2010, also for his Iraq reporting, both of them for The Washington Post. He also was a finalist in 2007 for his coverage of Lebanon, and has been nominated by The Times for his coverage of the Arab Spring uprisings that have transfixed the Middle East for the past year. Mr. Shadid began his Middle East reporting career as a correspondent for The A.P. based in Cairo, traveling around the region from 1995 to 1999. He later worked at The Boston Globe before moving to The Post, where he was the Islamic Affairs correspondent and Baghdad bureau chief. He joined The Times at the end of 2009. He was no stranger to injury, harassment and arrest. In 2002, while working for The Globe, he was shot and wounded in the shoulder as he walked on a street in Ramallah, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. During the tumultuous protests in Cairo last year that led to the fall of President Hosni Mubarak, Mr. Shadid was hounded by Mr. Mubarak’s police, and during a police raid, he had to hide the computers used by Times reporters. Mr. Shadid, Mr. Hicks and two other Times journalists, Stephen Farrell and Lynsey Addario, were arrested by pro-government militias during the conflict in Libya last year and held for more than a week, during which all were physically abused. Their driver, Mohammad Shaglouf, died. In the 2004 citation, the Pulitzer Board praised “his extraordinary ability to capture, at personal peril, the voices and emotions of Iraqis as their country was invaded, their leader toppled and their way of life upended.” In the 2010 citation, the board praised “his rich, beautifully written series on Iraq as the United States departs and its people and leaders struggle to deal with the legacy of war and to shape the nation’s future.” He spoke of the risks he took while reporting in an interview in December with Terry Gross on the NPR program “Fresh Air.” “I did feel that Syria was so important, and that story wouldn’t be told otherwise, that it was worth taking risks for,” he said of an earlier trip to Syria in which he entered the country from Lebanon on a motorcycle across a rugged stretch of land. Mr. Shadid was not afraid to butt heads with his editors to protect a phrase, scene or quotation that he considered essential to making his point. His final article for The Times, which ran on Feb. 9, was a behind-the-scenes look at the tumultuous situation in Libya, where rival militias had replaced the government of Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi. It ran long, at more than 1,600 words, which was typical of Mr. Shadid’s work. It was splashed on the front page of the newspaper and the home page of the Web site, nytimes.com, which was also typical. Mr. Shadid also had a penchant for elegiac prose. In the opening of a new book, “House of Stone,” to be published next month, he described what he had witnessed in Lebanon after Israeli air assaults in the summer of 2006: “Some suffering cannot be covered in words,” he wrote. “This had become my daily fare as reporter in the Middle East documenting war, its survivors and fatalities, and the many who seem a little of both. In the Lebanese town of Qana, where Israeli bombs caught their victims in the midst of a morning’s work, we saw the dead standing, sitting, looking around. The village, its voices and stories, plates and bowls, letters and words, its history, had been obliterated in a few extended moments that splintered a quiet morning.”

Nagadaa this nonsense about looters and animals. Who are we to talk - we sold off national monuments! Archdemos;790461 wrote: Not surprised this is happening, but its just one of the many byproducts of statelessness. No protection for Somalis and our most vulnerable are game. These places are uber violent and suffer from extreme poverty, so i ask the question why have Somalis not tried to diversify away from setting up in these dangerous areas. The police are obviously not doing much, and from personal experience i know quite a few south africans blacks not white who harbour obnoxious and xenophobic views of Somalis and other africans in general. Still having said that i cant generalise. I think they go there precisely because it's violent and poor - business tends to underserve those areas and there is less competition. That being said you have to think about how much your life is worth before venturing in - but then Somalis have a warped sense of that. The folks getting on boats in the Gulf/Med or walkng through the deserts of North Africa and Mexico - you gotta figure something is wrong.

^Muslim African countries and Turkey? Which apart from North Africca and Sudan/Somalia? Are they in West Africa like Mali, Niger etc? Yeah - Swahili is a good choice and easy to learn. Although there are dialect differences.

^There never was an issue about his not participating. That he chose to make these statements and this controversey is something that he can be blamed for.

Reimburse the wasted gas? They're dreaming of a cut of any newly found oil/gas thus the sniffing around. I wonder if Somalia becomes rich whether Djibouti will say - ana waa ikan.

^Seriously? How do you not blame the kid for his reasoning - I really don’t feel it is appropriate for students in a public high school to be singing an Islamic worship song,” Harper told KREX-TV. "This is worshipping another God, and even worshipping another prophet.... Does that even make sense? Is it an Islamic worship song? How does he know it's another God? Where did worshipping another prophet enter into this? Whether there is a religious free environment in school has nothing to do with anything as long as you can opt out. This story is typical of the moronic flaming that is prvalent in the USA when the subject is Islam or Muslims.

^If the PL flag is there - his should be there too. Better yet I don't know why one can't upload whatever avatar you wish like it was in the previous SOL?

^No one forced anyone here. This is a voluntary choir. In addition - the lyrics were revealed to students beforehand allowing them to quietly withdraw or simply choose not to sing a particular song if they so chose. But this fellow clearly is not bright and/or wanted a controversey. Do you share that with him or is this just taking the mickey?

Partition? The country was already divided up into Shabaab areas and non-Shabaab areas. And the UK and the international community supported the non-Shabaab areas and now will continue to do so.

Why don't u give us your take Xaji?

Chubacka This pic is in the public domain - if it isn't supposed to be - then Alpha deserves censure for putting out there. If it is in the public domain - I don't see why commenting on it should be a big deal. While the act here is not comparable to welfare cheats - the point was that once it becomes public - commenting on it, like the welfare cheats, is not unfair. I think to say their pastime is disgusting or xaram is not overstepping. Anything further than that would be.

A Colorado high school student quit the school choir after an Islamic song containing the lyric "there is no other truth except Allah" found its way into the chorus. James Harper, a senior at Grand Junction High School in Grand Junction, put his objection to singing "Zikr," a song written by Indian composer A.R. Rahman, in an email to Mesa County School District 51 officials. "I don’t want to come across as a bigot or a racist, but I really don’t feel it is appropriate for students in a public high school to be singing an Islamic worship song,” Harper told KREX-TV. "This is worshipping another God, and even worshipping another prophet ... I think there would be a lot of outrage if we made a Muslim choir say Jesus Christ is the only truth." But district spokesman Jeff Kirtland defended the decision to include the Islamic song: "Choral music is often devoted to religious themes. ... This is not a case where the school is endorsing or promoting any particular religion or other non-educational agenda. The song was chosen because its rhythms and other qualities would provide an opportunity to exhibit the musical talent and skills of the group in competition, not because of its religious message or lyrics," Kirtland told FoxNews in an email. He added that the choir "is a voluntary, after-school activity." "Students are not required to participate, and receive no academic credit for doing so," he said. Fox reports that an upcoming concert held by the choir is slated to include an Irish folk song and an Christian song titled "Prayer of the Children," in addition to the song by Rahman. Fox adds: "The teacher consulted with students and asked each of them to review an online performance of the selection with their parents before making the decision to perform the piece," Kirtland said, and members who object to the religious content of musical selections aren't required to sing them. Rahman, who has sold hundreds of millions of records and is well-known in his homeland, has said the song is not intended for a worship ceremony. He told FoxNews.com in a written statement that the song, composed for the move "Bose, the Forgotten Hero," is about "self-healing and spirituality." "It is unfortunate that the student in Colorado misinterpreted the intention of the song," Rahman said. "I have long celebrated the commonalities of humanity and try to share and receive things in this way. While I respect his decision for opting out, this incident is an example of why we need further cultural education through music.” The song is written in Urdu and two of the verses translate to: "There is no truth except Allah" and "Allah is the only eternal and immortal." According to Fox, the choir sang the original version and Wieland distributed translated lyrics. http://news.yahoo.com/no-truth-except-allah-colorado-student-quits-high-083917665.html;_ylt=AlsiA903VxjVmntqO8K_g6U7Xs8F;_ylu=X3oDMTNqZXZvZTFyBGNjb2RlA2N0LmMEcGtnAzVhMjc3ZTg1LThjNTgtMzkyNy04OGY3LTI4OGI2NzdjYmRjMARwb3MDNQRzZWMDbW9zdF9wb3B1bGFyBHZlcgM3ODIwYzViMC01OGM5LTExZTEtOGYxMy1iMWZmOGZiOTYwNjU-;_ylg=X3oDMTF2Y2VzZTFkBGludGwDdXMEbGFuZwNlbi11cwRwc3RhaWQDBHBzdGNhdAN1c3xyZWxpZ2lvbgRwdANzZWN0aW9ucwR0ZXN0Aw--;_ylv=3

Turkey Somalia way ku khafiftay. Good development - but they need to run it thru a hub Somalis actually use - UAE or Nairobi.

Nimanka wadanka kuu dulay ba aday? You must have something up your sleeve.

Good on ya Marx. Those shades and that toothy grin has finally got you into H-town's most exclusive mafrash. Don't let those come hither smiles go to waste. Is yeel yeelka iska dhaaf. Malika;789923 wrote: ^What is the difference - erm when it comes to drug abuse or drug dealing? There is no difference at all. I dont remember reading nor hearing of sins that are prescribed for one sex and not the other.. I didn't see what the poster's point was - it sure isn't anyone one else's business what those women are doing or do. There is a difference. In one - you have a human weakness that leads you astray. In the other you profit off the ppl who have a human weakness - you are a parasite. The sin is the same for both sexes. What is not the same is how we view it. We have different expectations of woman in our society and this sort of behaviour is clearly well outside the line. Why is it no one's business what these ppl do? We comment all the time on what ppl do here - Somalis stealing welfare etc. Is it because they're women and you see them being picked on?

^Reread the last 2 words of that sentence. It ends with 'I suspect'. That doesn't imply certain knowledge. It implies a suspicion. And anyone can air their suspicions. Though these suspicions aren't held by me alone. I hope you faham maintenant. Sayonara.

Somalina;789793 wrote: How do you know how much they are worth? Waxaad ogtahay ka hadal, millions inuu haysto see ku ogaatey? bank statement kiisa maa furtaa bil walba? cajiib. Why are you asking for 'ballpark figures' if you want certainty and 'bank statement'? Cajeeb. Waxaa rabtid faseex ka dhig.

Ppl actually doing something productive! Rather than setting up new phantom admins/flags every other day.

^Haven't a clue - millions. More than all these and former ministers/presidents put together I suspect. Not bad for a man reputed to be illiterate. Walle wuu tabcay!

So who issues and manages the SL shilling if there was no central bank before now? I wonder what criteria the author uses to come up with 'diamond in the rough'. Perhaps he should talk to some folks in Buuhoodle.

^Who's the pot and who's the kettle? The TFG/South Somalia hasn't proclaimed itself a paragon of virtue. Not sure where that comes from. Oodweyne;789294 wrote: Xiiny ,.. :D Again, playing the dumb and deaf in a blinder way. Aren't you, dear lad? In other words, the argument, is that, the crime you are talking about, is alleged one, for pete's sake. Whilst, on the other hand, the criminality we are talking about on the part of Puntland is one, every one (from the UN to Chatham House) have documented that the very leadership of this fiefdom, are in cahoot with it. Now, the question is: who should we be more concern with in here? The "alleged crime" or the "documented one"... Now, you see how simple of basic alphabet of an argument it is. Or are you still not any the wiser in here, perhaps, touch deliberately, my friend.. :D Actually both are 'alleged' since nothing has been proven in court against Faroole or other top ministers in PL. And again both are 'documented' - in the article originally posted here by Xiin and the various sources you cited on piracy in PL. This story wouldn't be a big deal in the absence of the holier than thou attitude on the part of some Somaliland partisans ie. the best kept secret in Africa etc.

It really doesn't matter. Can any of them compete with Shariif Sakiin in terms of money, influence peddling and sheer political survival skills? Kuli daqad buu ka wada turayaa.

Showqi;784688 wrote: Idinkana Fadhi Ku Dirirka ayaan idinku nacay!!! Ardeydu waxay u baahan yihiin dhiiri galin iyo taakuleyn. waa hadii aad dooneysaan in uu wadanku horumar gaadho. Koley gaadhigaasi adiga iyo aniga nalama qurux badna. Laakiin ardeygii sameeyey waa in la dhiiri galiyaa si uu barito wax uga badalo meesha foosha xun iyo meesha ay ciladu ku jirto. Adeer maxaa ku dhiiri galiya - you have horrendous taste? Stick to gaari gacan? People should focus on what has real impact in their lives and that of their community. This monstrosity is a sideshow. Better than being a thug or militia man I guess.

But MMA if biilka is not enough for your family in Scandanavia (which let's face it is an exceedingly hard proposition) - tell your relatives in Africa - that they have Allah to provide for them. Why steal to send them something? Besides - did you get their permission to feed them xaraan? It's all twisted. Honestly from my experience in Canada - the folks who do this - are simply greedy. They don't take that money and send it to relatives generally - they go and buy bling for themselves or go into business with it.

^Heh - what about the '.5'?