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.”
A disturbing trend, an ongoing investigation
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.
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