JOHOR BAHARU, 3 SEPTEMBER, 2011: The family of Aji Saregar Mazlan is thankful the TV3 cameraman is safe, following a shooting incident in Mogadishu, Somalia, yesterday.

However, their heart goes out to BernamaTV cameraman Noramfaizul Mohd Nor's grieving family.
   
The 39-year-old was killed when rebel forces attacked and fired in the direction of the Malaysian media team's truck. He was hit by stray bullets in the incident about 11pm.
   
Aji's mother, Rohana Jamil, 50, said the family became anxious when her son did not call them yesterday.
   
Anxiety turned to gloom when the family received a telephone call from a TV3 personnel about 11.20pm, with the news that Aji, 27, was hurt by after being shot at by a group of rebels.
   
"My heart felt like it had stopped...tears started to flow when I received news that my son had been shot," said Rohana.
   
She said, since leaving for Somalia on Aug 28, Aji would contact his father, Mazlan Mohd Sam, 52, daily at 5pm to inform him of the situation there.

"Whenever my son telephoned, he would inform us that the turbulence in Somalia was worse than the conflict in Gaza. He asked us to pray for his safety, causing me to be even more worried.
   
"However, Aji failed to contact his father yesterday, causing me to be very concerned that something bad had happened to him," she said when met at her house in Jalan Bukit Kempas here.
   
A tearful Rohana said she was very reluctant to allow Aji to follow the humanitarian mission but the cameraman had repeatedly asked her permission to go to Somalia.
   
Prior to this, Aji had been on several missions such as Gaza and Cairo.
   
Meanwhile, Mazlan was thankful as his son, who was injured on the right hand, was now reported to be in stable condition.
   
Nevertheless, he sympathised with the family of Noramfaizul who was killed after he was shot in the shoulder and chest.
   
"Tomorrow, at 5am, our family will go to Kuala Lumpur because all members of the humanitarian mission, including Aji, and Noramfaizul's remains, are expected to arrive at 10am," added Mazlan.
   
Aji and Noramfaizul were part of a 55-strong volunteers who were on the 1Malaysia Putera Club Humanitarian Mission to help victims of drought and starvation in Somalia.
   


- Bernama