Terrible news:

An American journalist and author has been found shot dead in the southern Iraqi city of Basra, a Western diplomat said on Wednesday.

The diplomat told Reuters the next of kin of Steven Vincent had been notified and an investigation was underway to determine who was behind the death.

The diplomat said he believed Vincent’s body was found on Tuesday.

Vincent was the author of a book on postwar Iraq and was researching another book about the history of Basra, where British troops are based.

An opinion piece he wrote criticising the rise of Shi’ite Islamist fundamentalism in Basra was published in The New York Times four days ago.

The article critices the failure of British forces to clamp down on what Vincent described as a city that was “increasingly coming under the control of Shi’ite religious groups, from the relatively mainstream … to the bellicose followers of the rebel cleric Moqtada al-Sadr.”

I mentioned Vincent’s excellent work and blog, In the Red Zone, last month.

The piece he wrote for the New York Times–a piece that may have been the cause of his murder–is here.

There’s also this brutally candid blog post, mentioned in a recent Washington Times editorial.

Vincent was a fearless writer. He will be missed. Let’s hope military officials get to the bottom of his death.

More blogger reax…

Lorie Byrd remembers.

Arthur Chrenkoff writes a moving essay about his friend.

Marc Landers adds his tribute.

OTB and La Shawn Barber have round-ups.

NRO published much of Vincent’s work.

Captain Ed writes:

This death hits closer to home for me. Stephen had appeared on our radio show several months ago when his book In The Red Zone first came out. While Stephen supported the general war effort in Iraq, his writings did not fall into the category of cheerleading for Bush or every part of the American strategy. He wrote and spoke movingly about the tragedy of the Iraqi people — the tragedy of the long oppression of Saddam Hussein, and the tragedy of their liberation and difficulty in adjusting to their new status. His book was personal, gripping, and brilliant — a must-read for anyone wanting to know about Iraq and the war.

Update: Smash suggests ways to honor Vincent’s memory.

Read Wretchard at The Belmont Club, eloquent as ever in his eulogy of Vincent.

Also must-read: Jeff Harrell’s interview with Vincent from December 2004.

Mark Tapscott suggests that Vincent be added to the Freedom Forum’s journalists’ memorial.