French journalist dies of injuries after reporting on Isis war in Iraq

A French journalist has died of her injuries after she was hit by a landmine blast in Mosul earlier this week, her employer France Télévisions has confirmed.

Veronique Robert, 54, a Swiss national, died in a military hospital outside Paris where she had been transferred from Iraq.

Ms Robert was in Mosul covering a military operation to root out Isis extremists for Envoyé Special, a news programme broadcast on France 2.

She underwent surgery in a Baghdad hospital before being evacuated to France, a statement by France Télévisions said.

Two of her colleagues, French video journalist Stephane Villeneuve and their Iraqi Kurdish interpreter Bakhtiyar Haddad, were killed in the same mine explosion. Another French reporter, Samuel Forey, also suffered minor injuries.

The Elysée Palace announced on Tuesday Mr Villeneuve would posthumously receive the Legion d’honneur, the highest decoration in France.

Ms Robert was an experienced war correspondent who had covered multiple conflicts in the Middle East, most notably in Iraq, the statement said.

The network said: “It is with great sadness that the direction of France Télévisions has learned of the death of journalist Veronique Robert following her injuries from the mine explosion in Mosul, Iraq.”

The French national broadcaster sent its condolences to her family.

Her producer Nicolas Jaillard described Ms Robert as “an extraordinary woman” in a post on Facebook.

He wrote: “We were waiting for not such bad news this week. But it won’t come. Veronique Robert has died this morning, in France, surrounded by her boys.

“These pictures show an extraordinary woman. The word sadness is much too short to express our feelings.”