Afghan fixer for Canadian media outlets killed in Kandahar

Javed Yazamy, an Afghan freelance cameraman, reporter and "fixer" for media outlets covering Canada's military mission in Afghanistan, has been killed in a shooting in Kandahar city.

Yazamy — also known as Javed Ahmad but known to most by his nickname, Jojo — was in his vehicle on Tuesday when another car pulled alongside and a gunman opened fire.

Yazamy worked primarily as a cameraman for CTV News, but was often hired on a day-to-day basis by other media organizations as well, including the Canadian Press.

Indeed, the 23-year-old routinely proved to be an asset to virtually every Canadian journalist who worked in the violence-racked country.

His extensive contacts and connections across Afghanistan, including with the Taliban, appeared to land him in trouble late in 2007 when he was abruptly detained by U.S. special forces.

Yazamy spent some 11 months in military custody and was publicly named as an 'enemy combatant' by American forces before he was abruptly set free in September 2008.