Update 2 - Anadolu Agency Journalist Killed İn Syria Suicide Bombing

Anadolu Agency photojournalist Saleh Mahmoud Laila was killed in a suicide car bomb attack in Syria on Thursday.



The attack in the opposition-held town of Hraytan, north of Aleppo, was carried out by Daesh, local civil defense sources said.



At least 20 people were killed and dozens of other people were injured, when a bomb-laden vehicle exploded at a marketplace, they added.



Laila, 27, had survived an airstrike by regime forces last July in Aleppo's al-Zahraa neighborhood, suffering multiple burns.



He was sent to Turkey for treatment and later returned to Aleppo to cover the conflict.



Turkish deputy PM condemns attack



Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Yalcin Akdogan expressed sadness over the death of the journalist, calling the attack "despicable".



"I felt great sadness over the death of Laila who lost his life in this terrorist attack and may God have mercy on his soul," Akdogan said on Friday. "Hundreds of civilians are killed in attacks by terrorist organizations and by the cruel Assad regime everyday."



He praised Anadolu Agency staff who, he added, were devotedly working across the world and confronting every kind of danger.



Ceremony held at AA headquarters



A ceremony was held in Laila's honor at noon Friday at Anadolu Agency headquarters in Ankara.



"This is an extremely sad situation. Laila was only 27 years old. He was newly married, and an expectant father," Director General Senol Kazanci said, adding that they would continue to be with his family and find a way to cherish his memory.



Anadolu Agency Visual News Editor-in-Chief Ahmet Sel said that journalists sometimes risked their lives to "show the truth".



"Mahmoud Laila was one of them. He would risk his life to show the pain in his homeland. His photos are important in the sense that they serve as a historical record," he said.



Ali Demir, Anadolu Agency Syria news coordinator, said that Laila was a fearless photojournalist, who would not hesitate to enter conflict areas ever since he started working at the agency in early 2012. - Suriye