NPR photographer, translator killed in Afghanistan

NPR photographer David Gilkey and NPR Afghan translator Zabihullah Tamanna were killed on assignment in Afghanistan, NPR said today.

NPR said they had been traveling with an Afghan army unit near Marjah, in southern Afghanistan when the convoy came under fire and their vehicle was hit by shellfire.

Gilkey was traveling on assignment with NPR reporter Tom Bowman and NPR producer Monika Evstatieva, who were not harmed, NPR said.

Gilkey was a staff photographer and video editor for NPR, where he had worked since 2007, according to his NPR biography. Gilkey was named the Still Photographer of the Year by the White House Photographers Association in 2011.

Gilkey covered war and conflict in Iraq and Afghanistan since September 11, Michael Oreskes, NPR’s Senior Vice President of News and Editorial Director, said in a statement.

“He was devoted to helping the public see these wars and the people caught up in them. He died pursuing that commitment,” Oreskes said.

“As a man and as a photojournalist, David brought out the humanity of all those around him. He let us see the world and each other through his eyes,” Oreskes said.