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.[6] 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."[6] In this project he worked as a special correspondent for Knight Ridder news service.[2]