Militia claims responsibility for killing American citizen in Baghdad
The American citizen Stephen Troll. Photo: Al-Arabiya News
Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) – An armed militia calling itself Ashab Al-Kahf (Cave Companions) claimed responsibility on Tuesday for the killing of the American citizen, Stephen Troll, in Baghdad on Monday evening, according to Al-Arabiya News.
The armed faction mentioned in a press release that the killing of Troll was in retaliation for the killing of commander of the Quds Force, Qasem Soleimani, and commander of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), Abu Mahdi Al-Muhandis, Al-Arabiya News reported.
Media reports mentioned on Monday evening that unidentified gunmen shot dead an American citizen named Stephen Edward Troll in the Karrada district near Rafidain Bank in Baghdad, and the victim immediately died.
The media reports also revealed that the assassination took place while the citizen was driving his personal white Toyota Prado, and the gunmen were using a black Mercedes-Benz and a black Chevrolet Tahoe.
The Cave Companions has always been considered a mysterious faction since it first appeared in 2019, and although it represents a front for one of the influential Shiite factions, the majority of analyses indicate that it is a party implementing the agenda of all armed parties raising ‘resistance’ as their slogan, Al-Arabiya News mentioned.
The Cave Companions claimed responsibility for violent attacks with improvised explosive devices on convoys since March 2020, and at least one missile attack on the U.S. embassy, on November 17, 2020.
The factions generally intensified their attacks since the assassination of Soleimani and Al-Muhandis, but the majority of the attacks focus on the logistical support convoys of the U.S. forces, even while transporting their equipment to withdraw from Iraq.