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Doctors in Iraq are being deliberately targeted for kidnap and assassination. The latest one to be killed was Dr Ahmed, who has been described by colleagues as a kind and hardworking cardiologist who saved many lives in Diyala in north eastern Iraq. His murder is one of dozens of killings and kidnappings of doctors in the city and across the country by armed groups and militias. The extent of the violence against the medical profession is such that thousands of doctors have left the country over the past few years - and now doctors in Diyala have gone on strike in fear for their own safety. We spoke earlier to one doctor in Iraq who knew Dr Ahmed - he didn't want to give his name for his own safety. “It was a cold blooded assassination. Militia gunmen in a pick-up truck approached [him]... where he lives in a highly secure location. Militias act with impunity. There is no law and order... we are living in fear and [under] constant threat. Life is hell for us and our families," he says. "I can't focus on my work because I'm worried about my family and my family are worried about me." (Pic: Confiscated large quantities of various weapons and explosives during a recent military operation in Salah al-Din and Diyala governorates in northern Iraq; Credit: Reuters)