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Iraq

  • Update: More bomb attacks on churches in Mosul

    Two separate bombs struck churches in Mosul, Iraq on the morning of December 23. At approximately 11:00 a.m., a bomb was detonated near the Syrian Orthodox church of St. Thomas. Elsewhere in the city, three people were killed -- one Christian and two Muslims -- when a bomb hidden in a cart of vegetables exploded outside the Chaldean church of St. George. These attacks are the latest in a series of bombings in the city in recent months, including incidents on November 26 (click here for more details) and December 15 (click here for more information on that incident). The recent bombings, just two days before Christmas, have intensified fears among Mosul's Christian community, yet many Iraqi believers remain unshaken in their commitment to serving Christ. "The message of peace and hope announced by angels remains our best wishes for Christmas for the entire country," said Louis Sako, the archbishop of Kirkuk. "We want to work together to build peace and hope in the hearts of all men and women of Iraq." (Sources: AsiaNews, AFP)

    Pray for those who have lost loved ones in these attacks. Pray for healing for those injured. Pray that the presence and peace of Jesus will sustain Iraqi believers and compel them to share God's Truth with their Muslim neighbours.

    For more information on the suffering of Iraqi Christians,click here.
  • Bomb attacks target churches in Mosul

    Two churches and a school in Mosul, Iraq were targeted in bomb attacks on December 15. In the late morning, a car bomb exploded in front of the Church of the Annunciation in the al-Mohandiseen neighbourhood, damaging walls and windows. The assailants also threw grenades at the nearby Christian school, killing a baby girl and injuring many others, including five teenagers. In another attack, an explosive device was detonated in front of the Syro-Catholic Church of the Immaculate in the northern neighbourhood of al-Shifaa. No one was killed or injured. The bombings are the latest in a series of recent attacks on Christian sites in Mosul. Many Christians in the city have fled Iraq while others are afraid to even leave their homes. (Source: AsiaNews)

    Pray for comfort for the family of the young girl who was killed. Ask God to give healing to those injured. Pray that Iraqi Christians will be filled with hope and peace as they celebrate the birth of Christ amid the threat of violence.

    For more on trials facing Iraqi Christians, go to theIraq Country Report.
  • Church and convent bombed in Mosul


    Photo from AsiaNews
    On the morning of November 26, two Christian sites in the northern city of Mosul in Iraq were bombed. A group of approximately 10 gunmen entered the Church of Saint Ephrem, ordered those inside to leave and placed explosives around the premises. When the explosives detonated, the building was completely destroyed. Half an hour later, the attackers proceeded to the Mother House of the Dominican Sisters of Saint Catherine and detonated more explosives. Although five believers were inside the building, no one was injured. Thousands of believers have fled Mosul and other areas of Iraq in recent months due to ongoing threats and persecution. According to a local church leader, "Things were gradually becoming normalized and many felt that security had improved. What has happened now has put a stop to the optimism." (Sources: AsiaNews, Aid to the Church in Need)

    Thank the Lord that no one was injured in the bomb attacks. Pray that those who seek to do Christians harm in Mosul will come to know Jesus as their Saviour. Pray for safety and protection for Christians in Iraq.

    To learn more about the trials believers face in Iraq, go to theIraq Country Report.
  • Seven churches bombed

    Photo from AsiaNews

    Recent bombings targeting churches in the cities of Baghdad and Mosul killed at least four people and injured approximately 30 others. On July 11, two bombs ripped through the St. Joseph church in western Baghdad at approximately 10:00 p.m. The next afternoon, three bombs exploded within 15 minutes of each other outside three different church buildings in Baghdad. That evening, a car bomb detonated outside a church building in the eastern region of the city. Only minutes later, another bomb exploded outside a church building in Baghdad's Dora district. On July 13, a car bomb detonated near Our Lady of Fatima Church in the city of Mosul.

    Pray for those who have lost loved ones. Ask God to guard the hearts of Iraqi Christians against fear and enable them to continue serving Him with boldness. Pray that those responsible for these bombings will repent and come to know Christ as their Lord and Saviour.

    To learn more about trials facing Christians in Iraq, go to theIraq Country Report.
  • Three Christians killed in Kirkuk

    Photo from AsiaNews
    Three Christians are dead and two seriously injured following attacks on believers by gunmen in the northern Iraq city of Kirkuk on the evening of April 26. In one attack, two women, Suzan Latif David and Muna Banna David, were killed in their home. In a separate attack in the same area, Yousif Shaba and his sons Thamir and Basil were shot by gunmen. Basil was killed and at last report Shaba and Thamir were in critical condition. One of the nine men arrested has suspected links to al-Qaeda. Local clergy have condemned the killings, which have sparked fear of further violence against the Christian community.

    Ask God to fill those who mourn for these believers with a peace that surpasses understanding in the midst of their grief (Philippians 4:7). Pray for protection for Christians in Kirkuk. Ask God to continue to equip Iraqi Christians to be cross-bearing disciples as they serve Him.

    For more information on the persecution of Christians in Iraq,click here.
  • Update: Mother of martyred sisters dies


    Photo from    AsiaNews

    The mother of two women killed by a gang of teenaged assailants in Mosul on November 12 (click here for more) died recently from injuries she sustained in the violence. A funeral was held for the three martyred Christians on November 19.

    Learn more on the persecution of Christians in Iraq.
  • Two Christians killed in Mosul


    Photo from    AsiaNews

    In the ongoing violence against Christians in Mosul, Iraq, two sisters were killed and their mother wounded by a gang of teenaged assailants on November 12. The gunmen shot one of the sisters as she was waiting for a bus outside of her house. They then stormed into her home and killed her sister and injured her mother. A bomb placed by the assailants at the entrance of the house detonated as the police arrived on the scene, injuring several officers.

    Ask God to fill those who mourn for these sisters with a peace that surpasses understanding in the midst of their grief (Philippians 4:7). Pray for healing for their mother as she recovers. Ask God to bring peace to Mosul.

    For more information on the plight of Iraqi Christians, please visit the
    Iraq Country Report. 
  • Christian killed, hundreds forced to flee in Mosul

    A Christian music store owner, Farques Batool, was killed and his nephew injured when gunmen stormed into his store in the city of Mosul on the evening of October 11 and opened fire. The murder was the latest in a series of recent deadly attacks on Christians in the city (see the September 24 story and the October 8 story). Batool had reportedly refused to join other Christians who were fleeing the city under threat of violence from Islamist militants because he needed to care for his wife, daughter and mother, as well as the family of his dead brother. His family has since fled Mosul in fear for their lives, leaving his wounded nephew in the hospital.

    Over the past week, approximately 325 Christian families have fled Mosul. Armed Muslims entered local churches and homes and told believers that they would be killed if they did not vacate the city. Several Christians have sought refuge in relatives' homes, churches and monasteries in the six Christian villages that make up Telkep County and in the predominantly Christian county of Mahmoudiya.

    Pray that the Batool family will find strength and comfort in the refuge God provides (Psalm 127). Pray that the faithfulness of Iraqi Christians will be a light that draws others to Christ.

    For more information on the difficulties facing Iraq's Christian community, go to theIraq Country Report. A video about the current situation in Mosul can be viewed on YouTube (click here).
  • More Christians killed in Mosul

    Three Christians were killed in Mosul, Iraq over the past week. On October 4, an armed group of suspected Islamist militants assassinated a man named Hazim Thomaso Youssif (40) in front of his clothing shop and Ivan Nuwya (15) was shot to death in front of his home, located near a mosque in the Christian-majority neighbourhood of Tahrir. On October 6, a disabled 25-year-old shopkeeper was shot and killed in the neighbourhood of Karama. Some Christians believe that Islamists are targeting shopkeepers in an effort to wipe out the Christian community's economic activity and drive out believers from the area.

    Pray for those who mourn these lost lives. Ask God to continue to embolden the Christian community in Mosul to proclaim the Gospel even while suffering. (2 Timothy 4:16-18).

    To learn more about Christian's suffering for righteousness' sake in Iraq, visit theIraq Country Report.
  • Christians killed in Mosul

    A Christian man, Rayan Nafei Jamooa, was killed by a group of armed militants in Mosul, Iraq on September 10, according to a September 23 report from Compass Direct. The murder occurred only two weeks after his Christian father, Nassar Jamooa, was kidnapped and killed by unidentified assailants. Although there are often financial motivations behind the kidnapping of Christians in the country, a local clergyman noted that ransom money was not requested in either case and maintains that these men were targeted strictly because of their faith in Christ.

    Pray for those who are grieving the loss of Rayan and Nassar. Pray that their killers will come to know Christ's love, forgiveness and blessing through the lives of God's people in Iraq
    (Romans 12:14, 21).

    For more information on Christians suffering for their faith in Iraq, go toIraq's Country Report.

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