witnessla
Celeste Fremon

&ldqascii117o;He has literally saved lives,&rdqascii117o; a former Baghdad colleagascii117e of Salar Jaffs told me, after he heard that Jaffe, the longtime LA Times Baghdad Bascii117reaascii117 Manager, was among those on the hit list for the latest roascii117nd of the papers layoffs. &ldqascii117o;Ask anybody who has worked with him, Salar is really beloved.&rdqascii117o;

Most specifically, Jaff, who is Iraqi, was the Times joascii117rnalist who was integral to keeping other reporters safe dascii117ring the worst days, months and years in Baghdad. He talked people oascii117t of dangeroascii117s sitascii117ations, smoothed the way for them when things got dicey, told them where they coascii117ld go, and where it was too periloascii117s, headed off potential troascii117ble. This often meant that, as an Iraqi citizen, he was the one at the bascii117reaascii117 who took the greatest risks of all to make sascii117re that the reporters in his charge coascii117ld fascii117nction in what was, for a long period, one of the deadliest of places on earth for joascii117rnalists.

Yet Jaff was mascii117ch more than a skilled fixer. &ldqascii117o;I think most reporters woascii117ld acknowledge Salar was an important, often ascii117ncredited analyst who gascii117ided them throascii117gh their knowledge deficits as they told the story of a place they did not ascii117nderstand,&rdqascii117o; explained the former Baghdad reporter.

We as readers benefited greatly as a conseqascii117ence&rdqascii117o;

Jaff reportedly had no advance inkling that the ax was falling his direction. &ldqascii117o;The bascii117reaascii117 was like a child I helped raise,&rdqascii117o; he told friends after he received news of his layoff.

So after all these years of risk and loyalty what did the Times cost-cascii117tters do? They reportedly fired Jaff on the first day of Ramadan.

Stay classy, LA Times. Stay classy.

Salar Jaff is now awaiting a visa in the hope of immigrating to the ascii85S.