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Tara Fares was a model and social media star whose carefully designed fashion and fashion photos attracted more than 2.7 million followers on Instagram.
On Thursday, she was shot dead at 10 pm in broad daylight in Baghdad, the latest woman killed in a series of attacks on which government officials reportedly opened an investigation.
Ms. Fares, a former beauty queen who had just been elected one of the Iraqi women the most watched social media stars, was shot and wounded three times at the wheel of his white convertible in the upscale Camp Sarah neighborhood in the center of the Iraqi capital.
"She was very beautiful and kind and wanted to be happy and live life like the rest of the world: without restraint or hatred," said Omar Moner, a photographer and friend based in Baghdad. "But here in Iraq, the freedoms of others are not accepted."
Some say that recent deaths in Iraq of at least four prominent young women, including Ms. Fares – who were all perceived to be frank or at odds with the norms of a conservative society – are a disturbing signal of An eventual coordinated campaign to silence them. Others believe that the killing of Ms. Fares and others may have been nothing more than random acts of violence in a country where security is scarce after years of war.
On Friday, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi ordered the country's interior ministry and intelligence services to investigate the killing. He also said in a statement that officials would explore the possible links between the murder of Ms. Fares and other recent murders and kidnappings in Baghdad and Basra, a city in southern Iraq.
Mr. Abadi said the murders "give the impression that there is a plan behind these crimes".
Last week, Suad al-Ali, a women's rights activist, was killed in Basra, shot on the road to his car.
Nibras al-Maamouri, chairman of the Iraqi Women Journalists Forum, said that attacks on well-known women in Iraq had "increased dramatically".
"This is not something new, but it is dangerous to reach the level of direct killing in front of people," Dr. Maamouri said. "What happened to Tara Fares was odious."
Dr. Maamouri believed that Ms. Fares' murder may be related to the deaths of Rasha al-Hassan and Rafif al-Yasiri, two beauticians died in mysterious circumstances in Baghdad a week apart in August. Ms. Fares traveled in the same social circles as the two women.
Influential women are targeted to "create chaos," said Dr. Maamouri.
Mohammad Nasir al-Karbouli, a member of parliament, said that attacks like Ms. Fares's were meant to send a message.
"The killings of women on the day are messages intended to confuse security in Baghdad and weaken the confidence of citizens," said Karbouli.
Fares, who hails from Baghdad, left the city three years ago to live in Erbil, in the Kurdistan region of Iraq, because she thought it was safer, friends said. Recently, she had started spending more time in Baghdad.
His popular messages on social media give a glimpse of his life.
In pictures on her Instagram account, she grows and poses for the camera, adorned with wigs, elaborate makeups and tight dresses, arms covered with a handful of tattoos.
Her YouTube videos, which have garnered hundreds of thousands of views, show her singing pop songs, doing make-up tutorials, unpacking fans' gifts and seeing restaurants in Erbil.
While the videos drew dozens of fan comments, they also pulled vitriolic messages that mocked or even threatened her.
"She lived a very western lifestyle – she dressed as she wanted," said Daryna Sarhan, who founded a lifestyle magazine in Erbil, and has long followed Ms. Fares on Instagram.
"She basically did everything the Conservatives go against," said Sarhan. "She was just a normal Instagram model, but it's not considered normal in our society."
Ms. Sarhan said she was shocked to see comments left on social media by people trying to justify Ms. Fares' death because of her lifestyle.
"I have the impression that it was a message sent:" Do not be like Tara or you'll end up like Tara, "she said.
Even after her death, Ms. Fares was not immune to criticism. A journalist from the Iraqi media network described her as a "whore" and other comments posted on social media claiming she deserved it for leading a "vain and vain life".
During her lifetime, Ms. Fares accepted the critics with clarity, according to those who knew her.
Mr. Moner, the photographer, said that Ms. Fares was in her studio the day before she died. He describes her as "funny" and recently shared several photos of a fashion shoot with her on her Instagram account. He said that Ms. Fares had often received threats, "but she did not think it was real."
His assassination, Mr. Moner said, created a climate of fear. Many of his friends told him that they feared becoming a target.
Mukdad Abu Athab, head of the mosque where Ms. Fares's funeral took place on Friday, said she was attached to her family and that she had big plans for her future.
"Her family told me that she was there to buy them a house," he said. "But unfortunately, they killed her."
Falih Hassan contributed to the reports.
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