Christian churches attacked in Iraq

Closely following recently reported fears of Iraqi persecution of Christians, six bombs have been set off by terrorists, targeting Christians during Sunday services on 1st August. According to the AFP, churches in Baghdad and Mosul were attacked during morning services, killing at least 11 people and injuring 50.

These coordinated attacks are the first since the Iraqi insurgency against coalition forces, and have opened an unfortunate chapter in the Iraqi insurgency.

"It's a crime. It's Sunday, we were at mass. There were a lot of women and children," said Bishop Raphael Kutami at the Syriac church in Baghdad to the AFP.

"There are so many injured and we don't know how many. We were coming out of the church when the bomb exploded,” said another priest.

Police say that a suicide bomber set off a car bomb outside the Armenian church in the Karada district. Within minutes, another bomber set off an explosion near the Syriac church. In southern Baghdad, a large church and seminary was turned into a war zone. Another blast destroyed the Chaldean Catholic church in eastern Baghdad.

North of Baghdad in Mosul, bombers set off two car bombs near a Syrian church. In the city of Kirkuk, there are reports of another explosion set off in a Christian residential neighbourhood.

Adnan Pachachi, a Muslim member of the Iraqi Governing Council, said that the he was "deeply saddened and horrified by the attacks. This really tarnishes Iraq's image as one of the rare havens of inter-faith harmony in the region, I call on the government to track down these criminals. What they have done will destabilise the country."