Thousands of Christians Flee Central Iraq after Attacks
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Thousands of Iraqi Christians have fled their homes to semi-autonomous Kurdish areas and neighbouring countries since a Catholic church in Baghdad was attacked six weeks ago, the U.N. refugee agency said on Friday.

Iraqi Christians gather at the Sayidat al-Nejat Catholic Cathedral to mark the 40th day since the bloody attack. Photo: The Daily Telegraph
Some 1,000 Christian families, roughly 6,000 people, have arrived in the northern Kurdish areas from Baghdad, Mosul and Nineveh, the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said. Several thousand have crossed into Syria, Jordan and Lebanon.

Many spoke of receiving threats or leaving out of fear. Fifty-two hostages and police were killed when Iraqi forces tried to free more than 100 Catholics taken hostage during Sunday mass on Oct. 31. >>> | Friday, December 17, 2010