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.

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." In this project he worked as a special correspondent for Knight Ridder news service.

Salihee was killed by a single American sniper bullet that struck his head on 24 June 2005, at a checkpoint created that morning by U.S. and Iraqi soldiers, near Salihee's home in western Baghdad. Salihee was on his day off, going to fuel his car before picking up his daughter for swimming.

Salihee's brother describes the Army report on his death as a cover-up meant to protect U.S. and Iraqi soldiers from wrongdoing, and like most in the neighborhood where Salihee was killed, believes that Salihee had stopped before he was shot. Hannah Allam calls the investigation "callous," but also wrote that "there's no reason to think that the shooting had anything to do with [Salihee's] reporting work." James Cogan, writing for the World Socialist Web Site, states that Salihee's "last assignment gives reason to suspect that it was," citing Salihee's effort to investigate alleged death squads. Davies writes that "the links between the forces Yasser Salihee was investigating and the ones that killed him cast a long dark shadow over his death." According to the Daily Kos blog, three journalists, including Steve Vincent, Yasser Salihee and Fakher Haider, were shot to death in Iraq in 2005 while investigating Interior Ministry commandos. 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."

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. As a correspondent for Knight Ridder, Salihee took great risks "to gather scraps of truth in a place filled with deceit and danger," according to colleague and reporter Hannah Allam. Allam wrote that Salihee was motivated by a desire to show American readers the reality of life for Iraqis in a war zone.

Robertson was also able to interview the sniper who killed Salihee by embedding with his unit. The soldier had originally trained as a member of the special forces, becoming a sniper for the U.S. Army Rangers. Leaving the army, he rejoined the National Guard after the 11 September 2001 terrorist attack. According to the soldier, the intersection where Salihee was killed was a dangerous one for American soldiers, where one had been killed or wounded only the day before Salihee's death, prompting them to search the area the next morning. The soldier stated that two cars approached their position, the second driven by Salihee, traveling "more than 20 miles an hour" and then swerving around the first car. The soldier stated that he fired three warning shots, the first at 150 meters, while the car did not slow down, before firing the fatal shot at 20 or 30 meters. The soldier expressed extreme remorse for his action, which he stated was driven by fear that Salihee might be a suicide bomber. A U.S. Army investigation found that Salihee was killed under the rules of engagement. The soldier was later imprisoned for alleged possession and distribution of drugs.