Bomb in Idlib kills Syrian journalist

A bus bomb exploded in northwestern Syria on Sunday killing three, including a journalist, and wounding nine, according to SANA state news agency.

Fakhreddine Hassan, a journalist for a Baath party's youth publication was killed in the blast in the city of Idlib.

Approximately 52 journalists have been killed in Syria, including 17 this year, according to the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists.

Syria has barred most international journalists since civil war erupted in 2011. The conflict has killed more than 110,000 people, according to the UK- based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

Only a few Western news organizations have a presence in the war-torn country.

Some of them include CBS, The Wall Street Journal, BBC, Reuters and The Associated Press, according to USA Today.

A managing editor for the newspaper stated that Syria is too dangerous for many journalists with a high risk of being captured or killed.

Italian journalist Domenico Quirico and Belgian writer Pierre Piccinin were freed on Sunday after being kidnapped in early April, officials said. Four other Italian journalists were also kidnapped in Syria in April but were released the same month.