Prominent Syrian activist Khaled Issa dies after blast hits his home

 'Khaled Issa, an independent Syrian photojournalist – known for his activism, has died late Friday in a hospital in Turkey after he was severely wounded following a blast that targeted his home in the Syrian city of Aleppo, medics said. The 25-year-old, who originally hails from Kafr Nabil – a town in the northwestern province of Idlib, was sharing accommodation with Hadi Al-Abdullah, another independent journalist and activist, in a residential building in Aleppo’s Shaar neighborhood.

 The two were severely wounded after an explosive device targeted their home on June 17. While Abdullah sustained his injury and he is now in a stable condition in a hospital in the Turkish city of Antakya, Issa was declared dead on Friday. The two’s main media activism work was to document crimes committed against the Syrian people.

 “Without Khaled; many insights into the brutality of [Syrian President Bashar] Assad would not have been possible,” Salim Salamah, a Syrian-Palestinian blogger wrote in tribute of Issa. “Without him, as well, many insights into the beauty of Syrians and their resistance would not have been possible.” He added: “Syria today lost another young man who had a lot to live for.”

 Reporting from dangerous conflict zones, Issa has sustained previous injuries during the past five years of his work as a photojournalist activist. Activists have blamed Al-Qaeda’s affiliate Nusra Front for the targeted killing. They said Nusra Front eliminated Abdullah for his increased criticism of the Al-Qaeda group.'