Armed group kidnaps Journalist Ahmed Brimo in Aleppo

Abduction series to be continued in Aleppo after kidnapping journalist Ahmed Brimo by an armed group affiliated to al-Qaeda today, local activists told Zaman Alwasl.

Human rights watchdogs say that the bigger fear for Syrian Journalists comes from abductions, which have been on the rise in the Syria conflict.

Brimo, the freelance reporter and relief worker, was kidnapped in Zebdiya district in Aleppo after skirmishes between FSA rebels and  the State of Iraq and the Levant militants. 

''Brimo is now in Kada'a askar area, ISIL's  stronghlod,'' sources said

Two days ago, an armed group broke into the Office of Zaman Alwasl in Aleppo, in search of our reporter, Ra’fat Al-Rifaei, who has been asked for leaving hours before the assault over torrent of threats, late on Thursday.   

Journalists in Syria have been killed by snipers, accused of spying, and kidnapped by gunmen, and with the threats growing, many say the conflict is now too dangerous to cover.

The risks have increased the challenge of reporting from the country, which was already difficult because of violence, regime visa restrictions and propaganda on both sides.

Media watchdog Reporters Without Borders (RSF) says at least 25 professional journalists and 70 citizen journalists have been killed in the conflict.

Syria’s conflict, now into its third year, has left over 115,000 dead. It has devastated the economy and the country’s delicate social fabric. It has caused 5 million Syrians to flee their homes to other places within the country, and driven another 2 million abroad.