The Assyrian Democratic Organization cordially invites you to attend the Assyrian Genocide Seyfo …
The Assyrian Democratic Organization cordially invites you to attend the Assyrian Genocide Seyfo …
1 November 2010 Last updated at 11:54 GMT
The gunmen had reportedly demanded the release of jailed al-Qaeda militants
At least 52 people were killed as security forces stormed a Catholic church in Baghdad to free dozens of hostages, said Deputy Interior Minister Maj Gen Hussein Kamal.
He suggested six attackers had also died in the fighting, though other sources have said the overall death toll was lower.
Pope Benedict XVI has condemned the "absurd… ferocious violence".
The gunmen had reportedly demanded the release of jailed al-Qaeda militants.
A statement was posted on a militant website allegedly run by the Islamic State of Iraq, a Sunni militant umbrella group to which al-Qaeda in Iraq belongs, claiming responsibility for the attack.
The statement reportedly said Iraqi Christians would be "exterminated" if Muslim women in Egypt were not freed. It specifically mentioned two women in Egypt who radicals believe are being held against their will after converting to Islam.
Residents of Baghdad’s affluent Karada district, where the attack took place, first heard a loud explosion at about 1700 (1400 GMT) on Sunday, believed to have been a car bomb going off at the scene.
About 100 people were inside Our Lady of Salvation for an evening Mass at the time.
The blast was followed by gunfire as a group of armed men began by attacking the Iraq Stock Exchange building, police said, and then took over the Catholic church just across the road, clashing with guards and killing some of them.
It seems the church was the attackers’ real target, says the BBC’s Jim Muir in Baghdad.
One eyewitness, who was inside the church, said the gunmen "came into the prayer hall and immediately killed the priest". The witness, who declined to give his name, said worshippers were beaten and herded into an inne hall.
There was an hours-long stand-off as security forces surrounded the building with helicopters hovering overhead.
The militants made contact with the authorities by mobile phone, demanding the release of al-Qaeda prisoners and also of a number of Muslim women they insisted were being held prisoner by the Coptic Church in Egypt.
But the discussions got nowhere, our correspondent says, and the security forces stormed the church.
Witnesses nearby said they then heard two explosions from inside the church and more shooting. The gunmen reportedly threw grenades and detonated their suicide vests.
Maj Gen Hussein Kamal said 52 "martyrs" had died in the fighting, along with six attackers, though a police source earlier said 37 people – worshippers, security forces and attackers – had been killed.
The number of wounded are put at between 56 and 62 – many of them women.
Pope Benedict XVI denounced the attack as he gave a holiday blessing on Monday. He said two priests had died in the siege, though it was unclear whether both were killed in the initial attempt to take hostages or during the raid by security services.
He said he was praying for the victims "of this absurd violence, made more ferocious because it was directed against unarmed people gathered in the house of God".
He called for a new effort to end the violence.
Iraqi Defence Minister Abdul-Qadr al-Obeidi said security forces approached the building at ground level and from the air.
"We took a decision to launch a land offensive, and in addition an airdrop, because it was impossible to wait – the terrorists were planning to kill a large number of our brothers, the Christians who were at Mass," said Mr Obeidi.
"So the operation was successfully done. All terrorists were killed. And we now have other suspects in detention."
Witnesses say they saw US troops on the ground and US military helicopters hovering above the scene, but the extent of their involvement is not yet clear.
Many churches have been bombed in recent years – including Our Lady of Salvation in August 2004 – and priests kidnapped and killed, but there has never been a prolonged hostage situation like this before, our correspondent says.
Christians – many from from ancient denominations – have been leaving Iraq in droves since the US-led invasion in 2003, and about 600,000 remain.
There have been many attacks on Christians in Iraq since the US-led invasion of 2003, but nothing like this.
At that time there were estimated to be around one million Christians from several ancient denominations – mainly Assyrian Nestorians, Chaldaeans and Syriacs.
Their numbers are believed to have dwindled now to 600,000 or less.
Many churches have been damaged by bombs in various parts of the country where Christians live – around Mosul in the north, Baghdad, and even Basra in the south.
Christians have also been the victims of targeted killings, while priests and others have been abducted and murdered or ransomed.
The exodus of Christian emigrants has continued despite the general improvement in Iraq’s security in the past three years.
The fear is that the carnage on Sunday night at the church of Our Lady of Salvation may speed up the flow of Christians seeking a better life elsewhere.
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
31-07-2021 At a time when the country is experiencing an unprecedented crisis economic, services, and …
American soldiers and Iraqi security forces had entered the church in the centre of the city to free 40 worshippers being held by eight gunmen.
Seven members of Iraq’s security forces, police and at least five of the attackers were also killed during the joint rescue operation in the Sayidat al-Nejat church.
The gunmen had stormed the church in the Karrad neighbourhood during evening mass after killing two guards at the nearby headquarters of the Baghdad stock exchange.
At least one of the deaths came before the rescue operation. One of the freed hostages, an 18-year-old man, said the first thing the gunmen did when they entered the church was to shoot the priest.
"They entered the church with their weapons, wearing military uniforms. They came into the prayer hall, and immediately killed the priest," said the young man who declined to give his name.
All the hostages had been huddled into the main prayer hall when the gun battles began with security forces, he said.
"We heard a lot of gunfire and explosions, and some people were hurt from falling windows, doors and debris," he added.
Officials said that as police made a first attempt to enter the church earlier in the evening one gunman had blown himself up by activating a suicide belt he was wearing.
Al-Qaeda’s Iraqi affiliate, the Islamic State of Iraq, claimed responsibility for the attack on "the dirty place of the infidel which Iraqi Christians have long used as a base to fight Islam".
It said in a statement posted on radical Islamic websites that it was an action against the Christian church in Egypt.
The US military officially ended combat operations in Iraq at the end of August, but 50,000 troops still remain in the country.
Helicopters hovered overhead and loud explosions and gunfire were heard, shortly after officials said they were preparing to storm the church.
Earlier on Sunday, the gunmen killed two guards at the stock exchange as they tried to battle their way into the building earlier, an interior ministry official said.
The attackers detonated a bomb in a car parked close by, wounding four civilians, and escaped, he added, fleeing to the Sayidat al-Nejat church that was among six targeted by deadly car bombings on August 1, 2004.
The Chaldean bishop of Baghdad, Bishop Shlimoune Wardouni earlier told AFP that gunmen were demanding the release of detainees held in Iraq and Egypt and that two priests were among the hostages.
Iraq’s Christians have been frequently the target of violence, including murder and abductions, over the past seven years.
Hundreds of Iraqi Christians have been killed and several churches attacked since the US-led invasion to oust Saddam Hussein in 2003.
Around 800,000 Christians lived in Iraq in 2003 but their number has since shrunk to 550,000 as members of the community have fled abroad, according to Christian leaders.
Souce: .telegraph.co.uk
31-07-2021 At a time when the country is experiencing an unprecedented crisis economic, services, and …
The BBC’s Jim Muir in Baghdad says that the death toll remains unclear
At least 37 people have been killed after Iraqi security forces stormed a Catholic church in central Baghdad to free dozens of hostages being held by gunmen there, security sources say.
Twenty-five hostages were among the dead, along with seven members of the Iraqi security forces and at least five of the attackers, they told the BBC.
About 100 people had been inside Our Lady of Salvation for an evening mass.
The gunmen had reportedly demanded the release of jailed al-Qaeda militants.
The local TV station, al-Baghdadiya, said it had received a phonecall from someone claiming to be one of the attackers, who said they were from the Islamic State of Iraq, a Sunni militant umbrella group to which al-Qaeda in Iraq belongs.
Reports said the attackers were not Iraqis, but foreign Arabs.
The attack came two days after a suicide attack at a cafe in Diyala province left 21 people dead.
Explosions
Residents of Baghdad’s Karada district, where the attack took place, first heard a loud explosion at about 1700 (1400 GMT), followed gunfire.
Police said a group of armed men began by attacking the Iraq Stock Exchange building, and then took over the Catholic church just across the road, clashing with guards and killing some of them.
Security forces later surrounded the church and sealed off the area, with helicopters hovering overhead. Then they stormed the building.
Witnesses nearby said they then heard two explosions from inside the church and more shooting. They also reported seeing US troops on the ground and US military helicopters hovering above the scene, but the extent of their involvement is not yet clear.
"The operation has finished and we released all the hostages," said the commander of the police in south-eastern Baghdad, Brig-Gen Ali Ibrahim.
The BBC’s Jim Muir in Baghdad says there are different figures from different sources for the number of hostages and attackers involved, and how many of each were killed or captured.
The US military told the Reuters news agency that between seven and 10 hostages, and seven Iraqi security personnel were killed, as well as five to seven attackers. It put the number of wounded at 30, while sources told the BBC that 56 were hurt.
Earlier reports meanwhile said that two security guards at the stock exchange had been killed before the attackers occupied the church.
There are about 1.5 million Christians from ancient denominations in Iraq.
Many churches have been bombed in recent years – including Our Lady of Salvation in August 2004 – and priests kidnapped and killed, but there has never been a prolonged hostage situation like this before, our correspondent adds.
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
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31-07-2021 At a time when the country is experiencing an unprecedented crisis economic, services, and …
The BBC’s Jim Muir in Baghdad says that the death toll remains unclear
At least 37 people have been killed after Iraqi security forces stormed a Catholic church in central Baghdad to free dozens of hostages being held by gunmen there, security sources say.
The Assyrian Democratic Organization cordially invites you to attend the Assyrian Genocide Seyfo …
American soldiers and Iraqi security forces had entered the church in the centre of the city to free 40 worshippers being held by eight gunmen.
Seven members of Iraq’s security forces, police and at least five of the attackers were also killed during the joint rescue operation in the Sayidat al-Nejat church.
The gunmen had stormed the church in the Karrad neighbourhood during evening mass after killing two guards at the nearby headquarters of the Baghdad stock exchange.
At least one of the deaths came before the rescue operation. One of the freed hostages, an 18-year-old man, said the first thing the gunmen did when they entered the church was to shoot the priest.
"They entered the church with their weapons, wearing military uniforms. They came into the prayer hall, and immediately killed the priest," said the young man who declined to give his name.
All the hostages had been huddled into the main prayer hall when the gun battles began with security forces, he said.
"We heard a lot of gunfire and explosions, and some people were hurt from falling windows, doors and debris," he added.
Officials said that as police made a first attempt to enter the church earlier in the evening one gunman had blown himself up by activating a suicide belt he was wearing.
Al-Qaeda’s Iraqi affiliate, the Islamic State of Iraq, claimed responsibility for the attack on "the dirty place of the infidel which Iraqi Christians have long used as a base to fight Islam".
It said in a statement posted on radical Islamic websites that it was an action against the Christian church in Egypt.
The US military officially ended combat operations in Iraq at the end of August, but 50,000 troops still remain in the country.
Helicopters hovered overhead and loud explosions and gunfire were heard, shortly after officials said they were preparing to storm the church.
Earlier on Sunday, the gunmen killed two guards at the stock exchange as they tried to battle their way into the building earlier, an interior ministry official said.
The attackers detonated a bomb in a car parked close by, wounding four civilians, and escaped, he added, fleeing to the Sayidat al-Nejat church that was among six targeted by deadly car bombings on August 1, 2004.
The Chaldean bishop of Baghdad, Bishop Shlimoune Wardouni earlier told AFP that gunmen were demanding the release of detainees held in Iraq and Egypt and that two priests were among the hostages.
Iraq’s Christians have been frequently the target of violence, including murder and abductions, over the past seven years.
Hundreds of Iraqi Christians have been killed and several churches attacked since the US-led invasion to oust Saddam Hussein in 2003.
Around 800,000 Christians lived in Iraq in 2003 but their number has since shrunk to 550,000 as members of the community have fled abroad, according to Christian leaders.
Source: telegraph.co.uk
31-07-2021 At a time when the country is experiencing an unprecedented crisis economic, services, and …
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