Syed Saleem Shahzad was a rare journalist. His reporting on the Taliban, al Qaeda, and other heads of the jihadist hydra based in Pakistan was always essential reading. He never wavered, as far as I can tell, in giving readers as complete a picture as he could. Oftentimes, that meant Shahzad reported on the nexus between the Pakistani military-intelligence establishment and the terrorist groups it helped spawn. Shahzad did this while working deep inside the heart of Pakistan – a brave rarity, indeed.

Shahzad went missing a few days ago. The Asia Times, for which he wrote, reports that his body has been found in a canal. Pakistani police say that torture marks were left on his body. The Asia Times also says that Shahzad had “been warned by officials of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) over articles they deemed to be detrimental to Pakistan’s national interests or image.”