Assyrian news

By Chris Herlinger Baghdad – Ekklesia — The family of 60-year-old Basil Mati Koriya Kaktoma and his wife, Ekram Ishak Buni Safar, aged 55, have lived in Syria since July 2006. Refugees such as these are adamant they will never return to their homeland given their experience of threats, physical …

     Damascus – Totalcatholic — Sawsan Hussin was worried about her son, Mustafa. The 10-year-old had brought the horror of Iraq with him when the family fled to Syria. He had nightmares and would cower at the slightest noise, his hands over his ears. Hussin knew he needed help, but …

     Northern Iraq – AINA — Nearly 300 Assyrian policemen in the Nineveh plain in northern Iraq protested on the 21 November outside the office of the local governor, in the city of Baghdede, against what they see as attempts to rid the area of the Assyrian police force which …

By Denis D. Gray TAL KAEEF, Iraq – AP — Young Christian women in tight jeans mingle easily with Arab matrons draped in black, head-to-toe robes. Both church spires and mosque minarets rise above the low-slung houses. Violence is rare. “The people here look out for each other — Arabs, …

By By Gary Marx MOSUL, Iraq – Chicago Tribune — A month after thousands of Christians fled this northern Iraqi city in terror, many of the refugees have returned home, but some fear a new wave of sectarian violence, church leaders say. Iraqi police now guard churches throughout this tense, …

     LONDON – AFP — Britain re-established high-level intelligence links with the Syrian authorities as Foreign Secretary David Miliband visited Damascus, the Times newspaper said Wednesday citing senior Syrian officials. The newspaper said the move could be hugely beneficial for Britain, as Syria has one of the best intelligence-gathering systems …

     DAMASCUS, Syria – AP — Britain’s foreign secretary is urging Syria to promote stability in the Mideast during the first visit by a senior British official to Damascus since 2001. David Miliband says the situation in the Middle East is fragile and Syria has key regional responsibilities. He spoke …

     Baghdad – AINA — A Christian bishop received a threatening letter written by Ansar al-Islam, a Kurdish Muslim group affiliated with al-Qaeda in Iraq. The letter ordered the Christians to leave Iraq en masse and stated it is sending a final warning to Christians in Baghdad and other Iraqi …

By Cindy Wooden VATICAN CITY – Catholic News Service — The U.S. Army has returned the Pontifical Babel College for Philosophy and Theology in Baghdad to the Chaldean Catholic Church, promising to repair or replace anything damaged while U.S. soldiers occupied the buildings, Vatican Radio reported. The seminarians, students and …

By Cindy Wooden ISTANBUL – News with permission — In 99-percent Muslim Turkey, most Iraqi refugees are not Muslims. A middle-aged Iraqi refugee in Istanbul who fled Mosul five months ago said the only hope for his fellow expatriates is for Western countries to open their doors to Christian Iraqi …