Baghdad Blasts Kill 41 As Christians Face New Wave of Attacks

(ANS) – As Iraq’s Christian minority already struggled to overcome an unprecedented wave of attacks and kidnappings, a sport utility vehicle packed with artillery shells slammed into a crowd waiting to volunteer for the American backed Iraqi military Thursday June 17, killing at least 35 people and wounding 138. Another car bomb north of the capital killed six members of the Iraqi security forces as part of efforts by foreign militants “to turn Iraq into a graveyard,” Iraqi officials said. “As it neared the gate, the vehicle exploded, throwing bodies, body parts, and metal along a nearby four-lane road. The force of the blast hurled a car into the center of the roadway,” said Voice of America (VOA) reporter Alisha Ryu, in Baghdad . There were no reports of American casualties. The explosion, the deadliest attack since a bombing outside another recruiting center in February, came shortly after church leaders expressed concern about growing Islamic extremism ahead of the transfer of sovereignty to Iraqis on June 30. Barnabas Fund and Amnesty International, have also reported an increase in violence against Christians, although a bishop cautioned that ordinary Muslims are suffering as well. “Not only Kurds are being killed, but also Shi’ites and Sunnis; those who collaborate with the Americans – even laundry workers – and those who do not collaborate; those who work in the electrical energy sector; those who oversee the pipeline,” said Chaldean Bishop Jacques Ishaq in an interview with AsiaNews, an internet news service.