Iraq: US citizen reportedly killed in Baghdad

A US citizen was killed in Baghdad on Monday in a rare attack in the Iraqi capital, police sources told Reuters and AFP news agencies. 

The victim was reportedly a man who worked for an international aid organization, but no details were immediately released on his identity.

What do know so far?

The US citizen was traveling by car in the central Karrada district when he was fired upon by "unknown persons." Iraqi police said the assailants were attempting to kidnap the victim. 

"Our initial investigation and eyewitnesses showed that armed men were trying to kidnap the American citizen," an Iraqi police major told Reuters news agency.

According to sources cited by Reuters, the body was taken to a hospital in the Karrada district and an initial hospital report indicated that the death had been caused by a bullet.

US State Department spokesman Ned Price told reporters that the department was aware of the reports of the killing and were looking into them.

"We would of course notify the next of kin before making any public comments," Price said during a regular media briefing.

Rare attack on foreign national

Security in Iraq has improved significantly since the defeat of the so-called "Islamic State" (IS) group in 2017. While there are some sporadic attacks on targeting security forces, attacks on foreign nationals are not a regular occurrence.

US-led coalition ended combat operations in Iraq in December 2021, with remaining forces playing an advisory role to Iraqi security forces.

kb/wd (Reuters, AFP, AP)