The New York Times
Series of Blasts Hit Churches in Baghdad and Northern City
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Published: August 1, 2004
Filed at 1:26 p.m. ET

BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) — A series of coordinated explosions rocked five
churches across Baghdad and the northern city of Mosul on Sunday,
killing at least two people and injuring about 60 others in the first
attacks targeting the country’s Christian minority in a violent
15-month insurgency.

Two explosions just minutes apart shook separate Baghdad churches in a
largely Christian neighborhood during Sunday evening services,
followed shortly by two more explosions at churches in other areas of
the capital. A car bomb and grenade attack hit a church in Mosul at
roughly the same time, Iraqi officials said.

Many of the country’s Christians had become increasingly concerned
about the rising Islamic fundamentalism here and some had fled to
neighboring country’s to wait until the security and political
situation became more calm.

“What are the Muslims doing? Does this mean that they want us out?”
asked Brother Louis, a deacon at the Our Lady of Salvation, as he
cried outside the Assyrian Catholic church. “Those people who commit
these awful criminal acts have nothing to do with God. They will go
to hell.”

U.S. military officials in Baghdad’s Karada neighborhood, where the
first two churches were bombed, said they found a third bomb in front
another church that had not exploded. Karada is home to many of the
city’s Christians and many of its churches.

“We were in the Mass and suddenly we heard a big boom, and I couldn’t
feel my body anymore, I didn’t feel anything,” said Marwan Saqiq, who
was covered in blood. “I saw people taking me out with the wood and
glass shattered everywhere.”

U.S. military officials said at least one and possibly both of the
blasts appeared to have come from booby trapped cars.

The explosions in Baghdad killed one person and injured between 50 and
55 people, medical officials said. The blasts in Mosul killed one
person and injured 11 others, said police Maj. Fawaz Fanaan.

In Mosul, about 220 miles north of Baghdad, a car bomb blew up next to
a Catholic church while worshippers were coming out of Mass, police
Maj. Raed Abdel Basit said. Several rocket-propelled grenades were
also launched at the church, Bowman said.

The bomb, inside a white Toyota, blew up about 7 p.m. just yards from
the church, said Ghaleb Wadeea, 50-year-old engineer who lives next
door. Debris from the exploded car were scattered about the site, with
some hanging off a nearby electricity pylon.

A bridge in Mosul was also hit, Bowman said.

Interior Ministry spokesman Sabah Kadhim said a total of four churches
were hit in Baghdad, two in Karada, one in the Dora neighborhood and
one in New Baghdad.

At the site of the two blasts in Karada, Iraqi police and National
Guard cordoned off the area. Firefighters and emergency workers were
battling fires and helping the wounded.

The first blast in Baghdad hit outside an Armenian church just 15
minutes into the evening service, witnesses said. The second blast hit
the Assyrian Catholic church about 500 yards away.

Stunned Iraqis ran away from the scene, holding their bleeding heads
in their hands.

“I saw injured women and children and men, the church’s glass
shattered everywhere. There’s glass all over the floor,” said
Juliette Agob, who was inside the Armenian church during the first
explosion.

The back wall of the Catholic church, where a bomb had been placed,
was badly damaged, with bricks scattered about, revealing the graves
from a cemetery behind the building. The bomb left a hole nine feet
wide in the ground.

Three cars were in flames in front of the Armenian Church, colored
glass was scattered across the ground. Four unexploded artillery
shells were still visible inside the booby-trapped car.

Massive plumes of black smoke poured into the evening sky over the
city and U.S. helicopter gunships circled above. Fire fighters and
residents struggled with water hoses to put out the flames, which
leapt from the front of a tan colored church.

Relatives raced to search for loved ones.

One, Roni George, was sitting on the ground weeping after failing to
find his father, mother and two brothers who were at Mass inside one
of the churches during the blast.

Numbering some 750,000, the minority Christians were already concerned
about the growing tide of Islamic fundamentalism, so long repressed
under Saddam Hussein. The majority of the Christians are Chaldean
Roman Catholic, the rest Syrian Catholic, Syrian Orthodox and
Assyrian. Most live in Baghdad and its outskirts and some dwell
further to the north.

Islamic radicals have warned Christians running liquor stores to shut
down their businesses, and have turned their sights on fashion stores
and beauty salons. The increasing attention on this minority community
has many within looking for a way out. Many are in neighboring Jordan
and Syria waiting for the security situation to settle, while others
have applied to leave the country.