Yasser Salihee

Yasser Salihee (1974–2005) was an Iraqi doctor and journalist from Baghdad. After the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq, he published in newspapers throughout the United States, and was known among colleagues for mixing medical and journalistic work. In 2005 Salihee began an investigation of torture and killings by Iraqi Interior Ministry commandos known as the Wolf Brigade. Salihee was killed by a U.S. army sniper on 24 June 2005 while approaching an unmarked checkpoint.

Salihee's death received international attention as emblematic of the problems facing journalists and security in Iraq during the war.

Career

At the start of the American-led Iraq War, Salihee was a doctor in Baghdad, and married to another doctor in the city. Struggling to support his family on the Iraqi Health Ministry's salary, he began working for the U.S. National Public Radio and for Japanese news services. Salihee was able to earn a whole months' salary as a doctor working a single day while translating for American media. In early 2004, Salihee approached Knight Ridder'''s Baghdad bureau requesting work as a journalist. The bureau was looking for an office manager but nevertheless hired Salihee, who quickly became a favorite among his colleagues.

Colleague and fellow journalist Philip Robertson described Salihee as more of "a scientist than a reporter," with "a great deal of curiosity and respect for facts." and as "a brave and decent man, and an excellent reporter who drew back the veil on key events in Iraq and their meaning."

Investigation of Iraqi Interior Ministry

In May 2005, The New York Times Magazine'' published a story on the creation of Iraqi Interior Ministry commandos called the "Wolf Brigade," with the help of U.S. military advisors, following the model used by death squads in El Salvador in the 1980s. Following the story's publication, Salihee began his own investigation into the brigade's formation and activities, at the same time that the brigade was conducting an anti-insurgent campaign in Baghdad termed "Operation Lightning." Investigating individual cases, Salihee and Lassiter found that Iraqis would be abducted by commandos in white police Land Cruisers and American-made pistols and body armor. Another witness interviewed by NPR stated that Salihee saw the soldiers, and was shot as he hit the brakes. The soldier had originally trained as a member of the special forces, becoming a sniper for the U.S. Army Rangers. His killing received international publicity and worsened relations between Iraqis and U.S. soldiers at the location of his death. but also wrote that "there's no reason to think that the shooting had anything to do with [Salihee's] reporting work." After interviewing the American soldier and nearby witnesses, Robertson concluded that the death was tragic but "a typical misunderstanding, of the sort that happens all the time in Iraq."

After Salihee's death, Juan Cole wrote that "most Iraqi civilians killed by US military forces remain anonymous." Cole described Salihee's death as a "symbol for the current debacle in Iraq," writing that as Iraq's situation worsened, journalists were unable to report on it, either because they had fled, been killed, or feared for their lives.