Iraqi social media star and model Tara Fares has been shot dead in Baghdad, security officials confirmed to CNN.
The death of Fares and other recent killings prompted Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi to order an investigation on Friday.
The former Miss Baghdad, and first runner-up for Miss Iraq, was killed on Thursday after gunmen opened fire on her in the capital’s Camp Sarah neighborhood, according to a statement by Iraq’s Interior Ministry, which is investigating the incident.
Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Saad Maan told an Iraqi TV station that two motorcyclists shot Fares while she was inside a vehicle.
The 22-year-old, a Christian whose father was Iraqi and mother Lebanese, was living in Erbil, but visited the capital occasionally. She was famous for her bold clothing and posts on social media.
A black-and-white photo showing Fares pouting was shared with her nearly 3 million Instagram followers shortly after her death, along with the comment: “In a treacherous and cowardly incident, Tara Fares Chamoun, is with God. We asked God to accept her with His great mercy.”
Fares’ death comes just two days after a female human rights activist was killed in the southern city of Basra.
Suaad al-Ali was shot and killed in an outdoor market by an unknown gunman, according to security sources. Officials said investigations were still underway.
And last month, two well-known women in Baghdad’s beauty industry also died.
Rafeef al-Yaseri, known as the “Barbie of Iraq,” was killed inside her Baghdad home on August 16. Al-Yaseri was a plastic surgeon and organized national programs specializing in medical affairs for women.
One week later, Rasha al-Hassan, owner and manager of Viola Beauty Center in Baghdad, was found dead inside her home. Health Ministry spokesman Seif al-Badr said at the time that al-Hassan had died at her home, where preliminary investigations did not point to a reason for the death.
Al-Abadi ordered the Interior Ministry and Iraq’s intelligence department to investigate the assassinations and kidnappings in Basra, Baghdad and elsewhere, the ministry said in a statement.
HELLFIRE_MX on September 29th, 2018 at 19:08 UTC »
Iraqi here, Tala always caused controversy and tackled taboo subjects but the best part of her was her love of life and her inspiring people everywhere. The huge majority don't think the way that the people who killed her do, the people who did this are cowards with radical thinking who murder in broad daylight.
Btw a few days earlier a female activist (Suad Al Ali) in the Basra protests was killed in broad daylight by a suppressed weapon. Thought I might bring more attention to it
Bbrhuft on September 29th, 2018 at 18:37 UTC »
After her murder, Haider Zawyyer of Iraqi State run Media Al-Iraqya TV tweeted...
“She is a whore and deserve to be killed”
https://twitter.com/omardemosul/status/1045420786180390914
Four women activists have now been murdered in less than a month in Baghdad.
SullyKid on September 29th, 2018 at 16:46 UTC »
When I was deployed we had a couple of interpreters who were local to Baghdad. One of them told me a story about how he was engaged and planning to marry this woman he had been with. They were liberal in the sense of the way they dressed—it was more European style than the traditional Muslim dress. Anyways, I can’t remember what group it was but he said they would drive down the road on motorcycles and street bikes, and any woman they saw who was showing too much skin they would slice open their abdomens with a knife as they drove by. His fiancée was one of those girls and they killed her. So that was his motivation to come work for the Americans. Horrible story, I can’t even imagine living in a place where you have to worry about something like that.