List of assassinations during the Iraqi conflict
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Since the beginning of the Iraq War (and, by extension, the Iraqi conflict) in 2003, Iraqi insurgents have targeted public figures and important individuals whom they believe to be working for the Coalition or its allied Iraqi forces.
Foreigners
- Sergio Vieira de Mello, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and Special Representative for Iraq, killed in the 2003 Canal Hotel bombing by Jama'at al-Tawhid wal-Jihad.
Governing Council
- Aqila al-Hashimi, member of the Governing Council, assassinated by Ba'athists in western Baghdad.
- Izzedine Salim, head of the Iraqi Governing Council, assassinated in JTJ car bombing in the Green Zone.
Journalists
- Atwar Bahjat, shot while covering the 2006 al-Askari mosque bombing for Al Arabiya.
Lawyers
- Saadoun Sughaiyer al-Janabi, shot in his home by masked gunmen in Iraqi Police uniforms.
- Adel al-Zubeidi, shot while driving through a Sunni neighborhood of Baghdad.
- Khamis al-Obeidi, abducted and shot while defending Saddam Hussein at his trial.
Members of Parliament
- Dhari Ali al-Fayadh, assassinated by al-Qaeda in Iraq car bombing.
- Lamia Abed Khadouri Sakri, female MP, killed April 27, 2005[1]
- Mohammed Awad, killed in the 2007 Iraqi Parliament bombing.
- Saleh al-Ogaili
- Harith al-Obeidi, leader of Iraqi Accord Front
Military figures
- Sheikh Sittar, Awakening Council leader, killed with an improvised explosive device planted by AQI.
- Fasal al Gaood, killed in suicide bombing at the Al Mansour Hotel.
- Hussein Ali al-Shaalan
Police chiefs
- Khedeir Mekhalef Ali, Khaldiya police chief; September 15, 2003
- Amer Ali Nayef, Baghdad deputy police chief; January 10, 2005
- Khalid Hassan, Diwaniya police chief; August 11, 2007
- Ali al-Deylan, Baquba police chief; September 24, 2007
- Saleh Mohammed Hassan, Mosul Provincial Police Chief; January 24, 2008
Professors
- Abdul-Latif Ali al-Mayah, assassinated under suspicious circumstances during a period of violence against Iraqi intellectuals and academics.
Provincial governors
- Ali Al-Haidri, Baghdad Governorate, assassinated by a group led by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.
- Raja Nawaf Farhan al-Mahalawi, Anbar Governorate, kidnapped during the Battle of al-Qa'im and killed May 2005
- Osama Youssef Kashmoula, Ninawa Governorate, killed July 14, 2005
- Khalil Jalil Hamza, Al-Qādisiyyah Governorate
| Date | Victim | Role | (Suspected) Attacker | Location | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 April 2003 | Iraq Abdul-Majid al-Khoei | Shia cleric. | Suspected Sadr followers | Najaf | |
| 29 August 2003 | Iraq Mohammad Baqir al-Hakim | Shia cleric. | Al-Qaeda | Najaf | |
| 1 November 2004 | Iraq Hatem Kamil | Deputy Governor Baghdad Governorate | Al-Qaeda | Baghdad | |
| 20 August 2007 | Iraq Mohammed Ali al-Hasani | Governor Muthana province | Unknown | Samawa | |
| 13 September 2007 | Iraq Abdul Sattar Abu Risha | Sunni tribal leader | Islamic State of Iraq | Ramadi | |
| March 2008 | Iraq Paulos Faraj Rahho | Chaldean Catholic Archbishop | Al-Qaeda | Mosul | |
| 10 January 2020 | Iraq Ahmed Abdul-Samad | Journalist | Iranian backed militias | Basra | |
| 6 July 2020 | Iraq Hisham al-Hashimi | Journalist | Kata'ib Hezbollah | Baghdad | [2] |
| 19 August 2020 | Iraq Reham Yacoub | Doctor | Iranian backed militias | Basra | |
| 7 November 2022 | United States Stephen Troell | Teacher | Cell commanded by IRGC-QF officer Mohammad Reza Nouri | Baghdad | [3] |
References
- ^ Cordesman, Anthony H.; Davies, Emma R. (2007). Iraq's Insurgency and the Road to Civil Conflict. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 679. ISBN 978-0-313-34998-0.
- ^ "US condemns killing of Iraqi expert Husham Al Hashimi". The National News. 8 July 2020. Retrieved 15 April 2023.
- ^ Knights, Michael (23 January 2025). "Iran Makes Second Effort to Recover IRGC Officer from Iraqi Custody". The Washington Institute for Near East Policy. Retrieved 9 May 2026.