Christian aid worker killed in Iraq

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Iraqi security forces gather outside a morgue of Sheikh Zayed Hospital in Baghdad on Monday Associated Press/Photo by Hadi Mizban

Assailants fatally shot 45-year-old Stephen Edward Troell—an aid worker from Tennessee—on Monday in Baghdad, according to police officials. The assailants cut Troell’s car off while he was driving through his street and shot him while he was still in the vehicle. Officials said the man’s wife was with him but was unhurt. The Iraqi prime minister in a speech said the attack was cowardly and promised an investigation.

Was Troell a Christian? Authorities have said the non-governmental organization the man worked for, Millennium Relief and Development Services, was known to conduct Christian missionary activities in addition to its other services. Troell’s social media presence also indicates he was religious. For instance, he quoted Scripture on Twitter and wrote about celebrating the coming of the Messiah at Christmas.

Dig deeper: Read Onize Ohikere’s report in WORLD Magazine about a month of prayer and remembrance for the persecuted church worldwide.