As you will all have heard by now, two Sunday Mirror journalists have been caught up in a horrendous explosion in Afghanistan that has left reporter, Rupert Hamer, dead and our own Phil Coburn, from Larne, seriously injured. A US Marine also died and five others were injured in the roadside bombing.

On behalf of the Northern Ireland Press Photographer's Association I would like to convey our sincere sympathies to the family, friends and colleagues of both men and to wish Phil a speedy recovery.

Some of our more senior members will remember Phil when he started out on his photographic career at Pacemaker Press back in the eighties before he moved over to London, first to man the agency's London office at the time and then to freelance for many of the national newspaper titles on 'Fleet Street'. He has been back home from time to time covering major news stories but has made his home in London where he lives with his partner Alison and their young son.

An extremely gifted photographer, he has established himself over the years as a top operator, covering the wars in both Afghanistan and Iraq. Before this fateful trip he has been embedded several times with British army units on the front lines in both of these war zones. The pair were embedded this time with the US Marines who are currently at the forefront of a major push against the Taliban.

It takes a brave man to go into a war and both Rupert and Phil were the bravest of the brave as they both put themselves in harm's way to report and record the realities of those conflicts.

They understood the dangers but somehow I think that all of us, in some way, believe that "It'll never happen to us". The reality is that it can happen to anyone. 

Phil is, and Rupert was, a credit to the profession of journalism and we salute them both.

Alan Lewis, Chairman NIPPA.