First aggression against Iraq's christians: scores killed, wounded in explosions against five churches
A series of simultaneous explosions most of them in booby trapped cars, on Sunday hit five churches in Iraq, four of them are in Baghdad and one in al-Musil in an operation which resulted in killing and wounding scores of people, and the first of its kind targeting the Christian minosity in Iraq since its fall under the American occupation 15 months ago.
Baghdad's explosions targeted a monastery that affiliates to the Keldan sect in al-Doura area, two churches in al-Karradah quarters, Mar Elias Keldan church in the new Baghdad quarters to the east of the capital. In al-Musil, two booby trapped cars targeted Mar Paulis Chatholic Church in the engineers quarters coinciding with an attack by missile shelling against the same church.
The explosions came at a time when these churches were holding evening masses. Rev. Luis, said crying before the Syriac " Seydeta al-Khalas" ( lady of salvation) church in al-Karradah quarters " What the Muslims are doing? Does this mean they want us outside this country?" American military officials said they found explosives implanted before a third church in al-Karradah quarters which witnessed the first explosions. They added that the blowing up of al-Karradah two churches seemed to be resulting from booby trapped cars.
The Iraqi ministry of health said that Baghdad explosions resulted in killing one persons and wounding other 27, adding that this outcome is not final and it expects number of killing and wounded to be high. Witnesses said that they found more than 15 bodies at the site of one explosions in Baghdad. Al-Musil exlosion resulted in killing one persons and wounding other 27, according to the Iraqi police.
Earlier in the day, al-Musil witnessed a suicide explosion in a booby trapped car targeted Soumer center for the Iraqi police and resulted in killing five persons including three police men and wounding 53.
These bloody attacks came after a night of violent fighting between the American occupation forces and members of the resistance men in Falluja resulted in killing 12 Iraqis and wounding 39. The American helicopters took part in these fighting firing 8 missiles in the Industrial quarters to the east of the city. On Friday evening the city witnessed similar battles resulted in killing 20 Iraqis.
Meantime, a spokesman for the Shiite leader Muqtada al-Sader in Baghdad, Raed al-Kazimi, said that the American forces detained on Saturday the director of al-Sader office in Karbala, Sheikh Mithal al-Hasnawi, and one of his brothers in a breaking in operation of his house. The spokesman said that the " detention of Sheikh al-Hasnawi in his house is considered one of the violations carried out by the American occupation forces."
