Salihee covered fighting in the Sunni region dubbed the "Triangle of Death," and the consequences of fighting in Najaf. He interviewed senior Iraqi politicians and insurgents, and saved the lives of some journalists by convincing armed insurgents that he and his colleagues were not combatants.[1] Salihee sometimes used his medical expertise to aid the wounded at sites he reported on, once joking that he "was doing sutures, taking notes, doing sutures, taking notes."[1][2] Salihee's patients often became his sources.[2] On or off work, Salihee took pains to teach fellow journalists about his native country.[1]