US aid worker killed in Baghdad
WASHINGTON DC, United States (Kurdistan24) – A US aid worker in Baghdad was shot dead on Monday evening, according to police sources in the Iraqi capital.
State Department Spokesperson Ned Price declined to comment on the subject, when he briefed journalists on Monday afternoon, saying that the US was still working to confirm the report, before notifying next of kin.
Reportedly, the man, Stephen Edward Troell, worked for an international aid agency.
He was shot dead, as he was driving near his home in Baghdad’s Karrada district, where he has lived since May.
Troell was killed in a failed kidnapping, Iraqi police sources said. Karrada lies on the eastern bank of the Tigris River, which divides the Iraqi capitol, and it is Shi’a-dominated
Like Lebanon in the 1980s?
No party has claimed responsibility for the attack, although the attempted kidnapping is reminiscent of events in Lebanon in the 1980s. Iranian-backed Shi’ite militias regularly kidnapped Americans and other foreigners.
The kidnappings developed into “arms-for hostage” deals, in which Beirut militias regularly kidnapped US citizens and released them in exchange for arms that were sent to Iran for use in its war with Iraq.
The revelation of such a scheme—in 1986—proved a major embarrassment to the Reagan administration. The scheme began at the urging of Israeli officials, who claimed it would promote moderates in Tehran. They, too, were seriously embarrassed, when the effort came to light.
Follows US, Europe Adoption of Tough Line on Iran
On Friday, the G-7 Foreign Ministers, meeting in Germany, issued a strong statement condemning Iran—their strongest to date.
The highly-regarded German news magazine, Der Spiegel, reported on Saturday that Germany, along with eight other countries of the European Union, are planning to impose additional sanctions on Iran at their next meeting on Nov. 14.
Possibly, the attempted kidnapping of Troell, and his subsequent murder, was undertaken in response to the increasingly tough line of the western powers against Iran.