Gunmen on Wednesday killed an Iraqi TV journalist – the second to be slain in two days – according to news reports. Al-Mosuliyah satellite television reporter Sabah al-Khayat was shot dead while leaving for work in the northern city of Mosul.

On Tuesday, well-known al-Iraqiya television anchor and reporter Riyad al-Saray was killed by unknown gunmen in a Western Baghdad neighbourhood, according to the Associated Press.

Saray, 35, was shot as he drove away from his home in the al-Harithiya neighbourhood, the Interior Ministry was quoted by CNN as saying.

Saray reported on religious and political affairs and was known for his efforts to bring Shiites and Sunnis closer together. He was also a member of the local council in one of Baghdad’s Shiite neighbourhoods, Shula, AFP reported.

“We are deeply saddened by the killing of two Iraqi journalists in as many days, and send our heartfelt condolences to the families, friends and colleagues of Sabah al-Khayat and Riyad al-Saray,” said IPI Interim Director Alison Bethel McKenzie. “Their killings, only a day apart, serve to starkly underscore the dangers still faced by Iraqi journalists in a country that continues to reel under violence. It is vital that the Iraqi authorities do all they can to identify the killers and bring them to justice.”

Riyad al-Saray and Sabah al-Khayat are the 174th and 175th journalists to be killed in Iraq since the beginning of the U.S.-led invasion in 2003, according to the IPI Death Watch.