Continued Attacks on Assyrians in Mosul Kill 5, including Newborn Infant
By Michael Ireland
12/20/2009 Iraq (ANS) — Five people were killed December 15 as two Assyrian churches of the Syriac Orthodox rite, and a church school were attacked in a series of terrorist bombings in Mosul, after several bombs went off in Baghdad, according to news sources.
According to AINA (the Assyrian International News Agency),which provides news and analysis of Assyrian and Assyrian-related issues worldwide, the dead included a newborn infant; 40 others were wounded.
AINA says the US military issued a statement saying they have detained several al-Qaeda members responsible for the attacks.
AINA reports that attacks against the Assyrian Christian population in Iraq have been consistent since 2004.
The news agency states that nearly 50 churches have been attacked since, leaving hundreds of thousands of Assyrians internally displaced, or living as refugees in neighboring countries.
AINA reports that in September and October of 2008, prior to Iraqi provincial elections, a wave of attacks displaced the Christian population from Mosul, causing them to flee to the Nineveh Plains region, Dohuk, or other areas in the northern region of Iraq.
