Annapolis (Web Desk): The US Army has published the photo of a combat photographer who captured on camera the blast that killed her in an accidental mortar explosion in Afghanistan, US media reported.
The photograph of Spc. Hilda Clayton was published in Military Review.
Clayton snapped the picture during a live-fire training exercise on July 2, 2013 in the Laghman Province, Afghanistan. The blast also killed four Afghan National Army soldiers. One of them was a photojournalist Clayton had partnered with to train.
"Clayton's death symbolizes how female soldiers are increasingly exposed to hazardous situations in training and in combat on par with their male counterparts," Military Review wrote.
Military Review noted that the explosion happened during a critical moment in the war, when it was important for US and Afghan forces to work in partnership to stabilize the country.