A car bomb attack upon a Catholic church in the Iraqi city of Kirkuk has injured 23 people – two critically.
The bomb was exploded outside the Holy Family Syro-Catholic Church at
approximately 5:30 a.m. on Aug. 2.
At the same time security forces
disabled two other similar car bombs parked outside two other Christian
churches in northern Iraqi city.
“The terrorists want to make us flee Iraq, but they will fail,” local priest, Father Haithem Akram, told Associated Press.
“We are staying in our country. The Iraqi Christians are easy targets
because they do not have militias to protect them. The terrorists want
to terrorize us, but they will fail.”
The bomb damaged both the church and nearby houses.
The parish
priest, Father Imad Yalda, was inside the only person inside the church
at the time and was hurt in the blast. The other 22 wounded were local
residents.
The attack comes at the beginning of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. Islamic militants
are thought to be responsible.
“I was shocked, I visited the neighborhood and the hospital and many
people were crying. It is sad because this is supposed to be a month of
fasting and prayer, to do good things. We are shocked and really sad,”
Archbishop Louis Sako of Kirkuk told Vatican Radio.
The bombing is only the latest in a prolonged campaign of violence against Christians in Iraq.
Since the U.S.-led invasion of the country in 2003 it is estimated
that nearly 1 million Christians have fled the country.
Many have also
relocated to northern cities such as Kirkuk and Erbil which are usually
regarded as safer due to having larger Christian communities.
“We were not expecting such actions against Christians. But I think
that this is political also, security is still not the best,” said
Archbishop Sako.
“We are trying to bridge relations with our Muslim brothers and
sisters. Many, many people have called me condemning this. I will ask
the imams, the Shia and Sunni imams to speak about this inhuman attack
and to condemn it telling people it is against God and against
religion.”
The attack comes on the day that three men were sentenced to death in
Baghdad for their role in a church siege last October that killed 68
people.
A fourth man was sentenced to 20 years.
The raid on the Our Lady of Salvation Church is the deadliest single
attack on Iraqi Christians so far.
Islamic militants burst into the
church during Mass whereupon they shot both priests and parishioners
before detonating explosive suicide vests.
The four men stood accused of both masterminding and preparing the attack.
They have a month to appeal their sentences.