500 Christian families flee Mosul

The Associated Press ,  Baghdad   |  Sat, 10/11/2008 7:54 PM  |  World

Insurgent attacks against Christians in the Iraqi city of Mosul have forced 500 families from their homes in just the past week, the governor of northern Iraq's Ninevah province said Saturday.

Duraid Mohammed Kashmoula put the total flight at about 3,000 people, and said most have left for churches, monasteries and the homes of relatives in nearby Christian villages and towns.

In a telephone interview with The Associated Press, Kashmoula described the last seven days as a period of "major displacement." He said provincial security officials were meeting with Christian leaders to protect the community "from the terrorists, the killers."

The violence in Mosul is occurring despite U.S.-Iraqi operations launched over the summer aimed at routing al-Qaida in Iraq and other insurgents from remaining strongholds north of the capital.

Iraqi police in the city located 360 kilometers (225 miles) northwest of Baghdad have reported finding the bullet-riddled bodies of seven Christians in separate attacks so far this month, the latest a day laborer found on Wednesday.

The Christian community has been estimated at 3 percent of Iraq's 26 million people, or about 800,000 Christians, and has a significant presence in the northern Ninevah province.

Islamic extremists have frequently targeted them since the 2003 U.S. invasion, forcing tens of thousands to flee the country. Attacks had tapered off amid a drastic decline in overall violence nationwide, but concerns are rising about the deaths this month.

Earlier this week, Chaldean Archbishop Louis Sako said he was worried about what he termed a "campaign of killings and deportations against the Christian citizens in Mosul."

On Saturday, Bashir Azoz, a 45-year-old carpenter, said he was forced to flee his home in the city's eastern al-Noor area after gunmen warned a neighbor the day before to leave or face death.

"Where is the government and its security forces as these crimes take place every day," said Azoz, who is now staying with his wife and three children in a monastery in the Christian-majority town of Qarqoush, about 40 kilometers (25 miles) east of Mosul.

"We only took with us our official documents and a few other essential things such as blankets, some clothing and dishes," Azoz added.

Christian leaders are also fighting for a political voice in Iraq. They are hoping the parliament will pass a lawsetting aside a number of seats for minorities such as Christians in upcoming provincial elections, fearing they could be further marginalized in the predominantly Muslim country.

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