IRAQ: Christians flee Mosul
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New violence this week against Christians in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul has sparked an outcry from the country’s religious minority. In the last week, officials said, Christian families have fled the city after coming under attack from Sunni militants.
Christians have been targeted in the city along with other sects and ethnic groups since 2003. An estimated 933 Christian families have fled Mosul in the last week, said Jawdat Ismail, director of the ministry of displacement and migration in Nineveh province.
Nineveh, whose capital is Mosul, has been a front line in the simmering conflict between Kurds and Arabs over northern Iraq’s future boundaries. The tensions have fueled violence that has targeted Christians, along with other ethnic and religious groups, including Kurds, Shabaks and Yazidis. Sunni Arabs have also been targeted.
Meeting with Christian politicians Sunday, Prime Minister Nouri Maliki promised the embattled community protection. Additional army and national police units were being stationed in Mosul, government spokesman Ali Dabagh said in a statement. At times, Christian leaders have blamed both Sunni Arabs and Kurds for the bloodshed.
Mosul was rocked by a car bomb Sunday that targeted a passing U.S. military convoy. The blast killed five Iraqis, a police official said. Another car bomb exploded 15 miles west of the city, killing two policemen, the officer added.
The violence against Christians coincides with a debate in Baghdad over whether minority groups should be guaranteed seats in provincial councils. An election law that was passed in late September failed to reserve for them any positions on the local bodies. Elections are expected to be held before the end of January.
-- Ned Parker in Baghdad
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