By — Morgan Till Morgan Till Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/how-two-new-york-times-reporters-discovered-the-gruesome-fate-of-a-syrian-police-officer Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter How two New York Times reporters discovered the gruesome fate of a Syrian police officer World Feb 25, 2016 3:37 PM EDT New York Times reporters Anne Barnard and Hwaida Saad recently filed a piece that could have been called, with apologies to Gabriel Garcia Marquez, “Chronicle of a Death Foretold.” They told the story of a Syrian police officer — they call him by his nickname “Abu al-Majd” to protect his family still in Damascus — whom they had met in 2014 on a reporting trip to the ancient city of Palmyra. A year later ISIS was on the march, and Abu al-Majd was pressed into service to help defend the city. Barnard and Saad stayed in touch with him via text message, until one day he went silent. The reporters wanted to know more, and Barnard told the NewsHour’s William Brangham what they found in reporting his fate. WATCH MORE: Why are Syrian attacks targeting hospitals and schools? We're not going anywhere. Stand up for truly independent, trusted news that you can count on! Donate now By — Morgan Till Morgan Till Morgan Till is the Senior Producer for Foreign Affairs and Defense (Foreign Editor) at the PBS NewsHour, a position he has held since late 2015. He was for many years the lead foreign affairs producer for the program, traveling frequently to report on war, revolution, natural disasters and overseas politics. During his seven years in that position he reported from – among other places - Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Syria, Lebanon, Turkey, Egypt, Israel, Palestine, Ukraine, Russia, Georgia, Haiti, South Korea, Brazil, Mexico, Canada and widely throughout Europe.
New York Times reporters Anne Barnard and Hwaida Saad recently filed a piece that could have been called, with apologies to Gabriel Garcia Marquez, “Chronicle of a Death Foretold.” They told the story of a Syrian police officer — they call him by his nickname “Abu al-Majd” to protect his family still in Damascus — whom they had met in 2014 on a reporting trip to the ancient city of Palmyra. A year later ISIS was on the march, and Abu al-Majd was pressed into service to help defend the city. Barnard and Saad stayed in touch with him via text message, until one day he went silent. The reporters wanted to know more, and Barnard told the NewsHour’s William Brangham what they found in reporting his fate. WATCH MORE: Why are Syrian attacks targeting hospitals and schools? We're not going anywhere. Stand up for truly independent, trusted news that you can count on! Donate now