PM Sudani orders probe into foreign national killing in Baghdad

Rudaw

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani on Monday ordered a probe into the killing of a foreign national in Baghdad earlier in the day, as the circumstances that led to his death remain unclear.

Stephen Edward Troell, a foreign national who worked as an English teacher in Baghdad, was shot dead in the Iraqi capital on Monday. He reportedly worked for an organization affiliated to the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

An investigative committee was formed by Interior Minister Abdul Amir al-Shammari immediately after the incident under the direction of PM Sudani “to find out its [the incident’s] details and causes and to reach the perpetrators as soon as possible,” according to a statement from the Iraqi security media cell.

The US State Department said that they were looking into the reports of Troell’s death, stressing that they will only make public comments about the incident once they have confirmed that the victim was an American.

“There is no reason to doubt that someone has been killed, as the reports indicate. But we want to be thorough in determining that the victim in this case was in fact a U.S. citizen, and of course then undertaking any necessary efforts to notify next of kin,” US State Department Spokesperson Ned Price said during a press briefing on Monday.

The US embassy in Baghdad later confirmed that the deceased was an American citizen. 

"The U.S. Mission to Iraq can confirm the death of a U.S. citizen, Stephen Edward Troell, in Baghdad, Iraq.  We are closely monitoring local authorities’ investigation into the cause of death," said the embassy in a statement.  

Former Chair of the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) Nadine Maenza called the incident “heartbreaking” and expressed concern over what Troell’s killing could mean for other foreigners living in Iraq.