Death toll from Iraqi church siege rises to 39

On alert: Iraqi security forces stand guard outside the Syrian Catholic Church, in Baghdad, Iraq, Monday. Islamic militants held around 120 Iraqi Christians hostage in a church Sunday before security forces stormed the building and freed them.(AP/Khalid Mohammad)

The death toll from the bloody siege of a Baghdad church rose Monday to 39 dead with dozens more injured, Iraqi officials said.

The standoff began at dusk Sunday when militants wearing suicide vests and armed with grenades attacked the nearby Iraqi stock exchange and then entered the nearby Our Lady of Deliverance church - one of Baghdad's main Catholic places of worship - taking about 120 Christians hostage.

Iraqi forces stormed the church later that evening, freeing the hostages and ending the standoff. It was not immediately clear whether the hostages died at the hands of the attackers or during the rescue.

Officials said at least one priest and nine policemen were among the dead. Many of the wounded were women.

The casualty information came from police and officials at hospitals where the dead and wounded were taken. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.

A cryptically worded statement posted late Sunday on a militant website allegedly by the Islamic State of Iraq appeared to claim responsibility for the attack. The group, which is linked to al-Qaida in Iraq, said it would "exterminate Iraqi Christians" if Muslim women are not freed within 48 hours from churches in Egypt.

Iraqi Christians, who have been frequent targets for Sunni insurgents, have left in droves since the 2003 U.S.-led war.