An American aid worker was shot dead Monday while driving his car in Baghdad, in a rare attack on a foreigner in the Iraqi capital, Iraqi officials said.
A senior Iraqi intelligence official said the American was killed in the evening in the central Karrada area of Baghdad, where he and his family rented. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly, said the aid worker’s vehicle was shot by gunmen traveling in two vehicles.
Security officials say they do not know the motive behind the attack.
Intelligence officials say the Americans were hired by Millennium Development and Relief Servicesa US-based charity that says it was founded in 1998 to provide long-term development assistance to the poor in more than 40 countries.
A spokesman said the US Embassy was still unable to confirm the death but was investigating. The New York Times is withholding the victim’s name pending confirmation that his extended family has been notified.
Murders and kidnappings of foreigners for ransom were more common during Iraq’s civil war, as Al Qaeda and Shiite militias fought in the streets following the 2003 US invasion of Iraq. But in recent years, Baghdad has become relatively safe, with many foreign residents living in houses and apartments in the center of the capital. When murder occurs, the attacks are often an outbreak of militia disputes or criminal activity.
Aid workers are affiliated with an American English teaching center in Baghdad, and have recently posted videos on the center’s Facebook page inviting Iraqi students to apply.
His social media feed includes biblical quotes and pictures from his family’s travels in Baghdad and Jordan. One shows him and his wife taking a selfie on Al Mutanabi Street, Baghdad’s cultural hub, and another at sunset on a bridge over the Tigris River with the caption: “What a wonderful place !”
On his Facebook page, a family photo shows him and his young children in the United States on their way to deliver food relief.
“A ship in a harbor is safe, but that’s not what ships are built for,” read one of his Twitter messages, quoting writer John A. Shedd.
Iraq has descended into intense political turmoil in the face of a new government, which was sworn in last month after more than a year of political deadlock following the 2021 elections. The new government is dominated by political blocs associated with Iran-backed militias. Clashes this year between militias and fighters loyal to a Shiite cleric who rejects intervention by Iran and other countries have raised fears that fighting between Shiites could can undermine the relative stability and security of the country.
Falih Hassan and Sangar Khaleel contribution report.
