Russian photographer killed in Iraq

Photo: Russian photographer killed in Iraq

Six U.S. troops and a Russian photographer were killed by a roadside bomb blast in Iraq, the editor of the Russian edition of Newsweek magazine said Monday.

Dmitry Chebotayev, 27, was killed Sunday while traveling in a vehicle with American troops on a road between Baghdad and Baqouba, Russian Newsweek editor Leonid Parfyonov said.

Chebotayev, a freelance photojournalist who often worked for Russian Newsweek, was on assignment for the magazine at the time, said Parfyonov.

"It is a big loss for us," Parfyonov told The Associated Press. "Everyone here loved him, and loved working with him. He was a cheerful person who loved life."

The U.S. military had said six soldiers and a European journalist were killed when a massive bomb destroyed their vehicle in Diyala province. Two U.S. soldiers were wounded, the military said.

Chebotayev, who was from Moscow, often worked in dangerous places such as Iraq and Russia's war-scarred Chechnya region, Parfyonov said. He called Chebotayev "a very good photographer. He was a young guy who took risks, who often worked in hot spots."