Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Anthony Shadid of the New York Times died Thursday in Syria, reportedly of an asthma attack. He was 43. Shadid was well known for his nuanced reporting on the Middle East. His book, Night Draws Near, was one of the better books on the Iraq war, and one of the few to put a face to the Iraqis who lived amidst the tragedies of war. The Times reported that photographer Tyler Hicks carried Shadid's body across the border into Turkey after his death.
In a statement on Thursday, Jill Abramson, the executive editor of The Times, said, “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.”