Blasts hit Christian houses of worship in Baghdad, Mosul

Baghdad - Voices of Iraq
Sunday , 06 /01 /2008 Time 9:35:29

Baghdad, Jan 6, (VOI)-

Two churches and a nun convent came under fire of mortars and explosive charges in Baghdad Sunday, leaving two casualties and material damage, a media source from the Democratic Assyrian Movement said.

The attacks against Christian houses of worship in Baghdad on Sunday came coordinated with four attacks against churches and a convent in Mosul .

"An explosive device went off in front of Mar Gorges (Saint George) church for Chaldeans, wounding the church guard and causing material damage to the church,” a media source from the Democratic Assyrian Movement, who requested anonymity, told the independent news agency Voices of Iraq (VOI).

He added “a mortar round landed onto the Roman Catholics church in al-Riyadh neighbourhood, eastern Baghdad, wounding the church guard and causing material damage to the church”.

The source pointed out “three mortar rounds targeted a nun convent in Za'afaraniya, southern Baghdad, leaving no casualties and causing material damage to the convent building”.

The three explosions came in a wave of attacks against Christian houses of worship, coinciding with the Christians' New Year celebrations according to the Gregorian calendar adopted by the Old Church of the Eastern Orthodox Christians.
In Mosul city, northern Iraq, four explosions targeted three Christian churches and a convent , leaving some casualty and material damage to buildings.

“Two explosive devices went off near Saint Maskinta church on Sunday afternoon, destroying the external wall of the church, and leaving no casualty,” a Ninewa police source, who requested anonymity, told the independent news agency Voices of Iraq (VOI).

He added “the blast was the fourth in a wave of attacks targeting the Christian houses of worship and coming a day before the New Year’s celebrations for Orthodox Christian sect tomorrow”.

Bishop Faraj Raho, Christian Chaldeans bishop in Mosul , told the independent news agency Voices of Iraq (VOI) “the two charges were planted in front of the Bishopric adjacent to Saint Maskinta church”.

“The bishopric was turned into an orphanage for girls”, he pointed out, “and the blast startled 30 girls and the nuns living in the orphanage”.

Earlier, a Ninewa army and police sources told VOI three blasts went off near three Christian houses of worship.

Brig. Hajji Maher, the deputy commander of the Iraqi army's 2nd Division, told the independent news agency Voices of Iraq (VOI) that an explosive device blew up on Sunday afternoon, targeting a Catholic convent in Mosul al-Jadida neighborhood, western Mosul , leaving no casualties.

A Ninewa police source told VOI a car bomb went off near the Virgin Mary Church of Assyrian Christians, in al-Shohadaa neighborhood, eastern Mosul, leaving four civilians wounded and severely damaging the church gate.

He added the blast that smashed the church windows and caused damage to four houses adjacent to the church was the second attack targeting Christian houses of worship.

The Ninewa police command chief had earlier told VOI a car bomb went off near the church of Mario Bulus ( Saint Paul ) in al-Mohandessin neighborhood, northern Mosul, on Sunday afternoon but left no casualties.

He added the blast only caused damage to the church fence.
According to official figures, there were an estimated 1.2 million Christians in Iraq before the U.S.-led invasion in 2003. Half of this number has left the country while others have been forced by gunmen to relocate to other areas.

Their numbers could reach now 750,000, according to unofficial statistics.
Mosul , the capital of the mixed-population province of Ninewa , is 402 km north of Baghdad .
AM/SK

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