An American who had been living in Iraq for two years was shot dead in central Baghdad on Monday night, Iraqi security sources said, but did not specify the cause, AFP reported.

The victim “was driving a car in the Kerrada area when unknown people opened fire,” a source from the Ministry of Internal Affairs said on condition of anonymity.

Neither the official nor another security source contacted by AFP could provide a motive for this rare killing of a foreigner in Baghdad.

The Qarrad district in the center of the Iraqi capital is a busy commercial district.

The security situation in Iraq has improved since the government in Baghdad declared “victory” over the Islamic State jihadists in 2017. Although IS cells continue to operate in some rural areas, they usually attack the Iraqi army and police.

But political violence continues. As proof of this, a large-scale campaign of murders, kidnappings and threats against anti-government activists after a large-scale popular uprising in October 2019.

The killings and kidnappings have never been reported, but activists point to powerful pro-Iranian groups that are inevitable in Iraq and are outraged that no one has been brought to justice.

In July 2020, Hicham al-Hashimi, an internationally recognized expert on jihadist movements and a civil society activist, was assassinated outside his home in Baghdad in front of his children.

This is without taking into account the usual crimes (kidnapping, acts of revenge…) and disputes between tribes, which are very common.

In addition, weapons and their trade are spreading in Iraq. In 2017, the Small Arms Survey counted 7.6 million small arms in a country of 39 million people.