Anthony Loyd began reporting for The Times in Bosnia 21 years ago. He has since covered conflicts around the world and last year won four major awards for the newspaper for his coverage from Syria. He is returning to work this month after recovering from gunshot wounds sustained on assignment near Aleppo in May.

What inspired you to become a war zone reporter?

I read Michael Herr’s iconic, non-fiction work on the Vietnam war, ‘Dispatches’, when I was 15. It introduced me to war reporting and war reporters. They seemed to have a decadent, exciting time in their relationship with war. ‘That’s the job for me’, I thought. I was right.

How do you balance your personal safety with the desire to get the story?

Not well, enough it seems. I am just recovering from being shot twice in Syria. Usually I get it right, though. I have 21 years of experience covering wars. I know how quickly things can go wrong even when the day begins with a cloudless sky. These two decades have made me ‘prudentially dedicated’ to going the extra mile for a story. It is an uneasy balance, exposing myself to risk for good reason, especially as a father. Yet no good story comes easily, and in war you usually have to sweat and fear to get to where you need to be as a reporter.

Is being a war zone correspondent more dangerous than ever before?

Journalists are more of a target than they have ever been. There are a great number of reasons for this. In Syria, since the US and UK decided against responding to Assad’s gassing of civilians in Damascus last year, much of the population has stopped seeing journalists as their moral champions, and instead now regards them as the epitome of Western cynicism, voyeurs who record an exquisite suffering that they (the reporters) know shall never be alleviated. This attitude has leant strength to ISIS, the ultra-radical Islamic group which has executed two reporters over the last three weeks. It has also led to an endemic wave of kidnapping.

How reliant are you on having a good support staff such as fixers/translators/drivers?

No good reporter in war is ever better than their fixer. The more dangerous the situation the more important the fixer. In Syria I placed my trust in the Times’ fixer there, Mahmoud al Basha. It was a good decision. In May, after we had been kidnapped, Mahmoud led the breakout from captivity, and was the figure most responsible for my freedom. So, I owe him a lot of good stories, my freedom and perhaps my life too. Fixers don’t come much better than that.

What is the story you are most proud of?

Working with my comrades of choice, Mahmoud and the Times photographer Jack Hill, I broke the first major account of President Assad’s use of chemical weapons against his own people in April 2013, months ahead of the mass gas attack in Damascus. I cannot say I am proud of that story, as subsequent decisions by the international community not to respond has lead directly to a whole raft of negative consequences. In fact, it was a shameful story to cover. But paradoxically, it was the most improtant story I have broken in 21 years as a reporter.