Embassy based in the capital said Tuesday. It was a rare killing of a foreigner in Iraq, where security conditions have improved in recent years, even opening the door for tourism. The embassy said it was closely monitoring an investigation begun by Iraqi authorities, but declined to comment further out of respect for his mourning family, the embassy statement said.
A State Department official said Troell was a private citizen with no connection to the government. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to go on the record.
Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, less than two weeks in office, ordered an investigation in the hours after Troell was killed. No group has claimed responsibility for the killing. Security officials dismissed the possibility it was a kidnapping gone wrong. Those who want to test our government in terms of security will fail.
The officials also said his wife was in the car with him but had not been hurt. Her whereabouts and that of their children are not known. Officials also told the AP the NGO was known to conduct Christian missionary work along with its development activities. The officials spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief media. The language school issued a statement on its Facebook page bidding farewell to Troell.
In a video posted on Oct. Troell and his family lived in a small two-story house with a small yard in a neighborhood where many companies, local and foreign, rent out buildings. A security guard nearby said Troell would greet him in Arabic every morning on his way to work.
