It is not difficult to find people in Iraq who are certain that they are about to be killed. But in the case of Mazin Fahmi, it is hard to disagree. Mr Fahmi has already escaped death scores of times. Three months ago, he was saved by his body armour – the bullet penetrated only far enough to wound, as he proves by showing a photograph in which it is lodged in his chest. He is a regular target for "sticky bombs", which are removed by one of his few remaining bodyguards from under his car. And that's not to mention the "drive-by" threats from local youths he knows to be in the pay of al-Qaeda.