Church Bombings in Iraq

On July 12, 2009, six churches in the Baghdad area were bombed, killing four people and injuring 32. These bombings began on Saturday night at St. Joseph’s church and continued Sunday afternoon with three bombings outside surrounding churches that wounded eight. In addition, Sunday evening a third set of bombings occurred outside a church on Palestine Street, killing 4 and injuring 21. According to a local Iraqi Christian, Sabhan George, continued violence will result in “no Christians left in Iraq.” Several of Iraq’s one million Assyrian Christians have left the country as a result of such attacks. In addition to the church bombings, another Assyrian, Rizko Aziz Nissan, was gunned down at his home in Kirkuk (north of Baghdad) on Sunday morning.

Unfortunately, church bombings have become commonplace in Iraq.  According to AINA, 52 churches have been bombed between June 2004 to the end of 2008. One of the refugees that tells his story in Transient was directly affected when the church across the street from his home was bombed one afternoon.  It started with what he called a “noise bomb” to attract people and raise casualties.  A truck with mounted loudspeakers pulled up and began blaring announcements to get people’s attention. As they left their homes and came forward to see what was going on, the truck, loaded with explosives, detonated and left two dead and many injured. He had been standing outside his home with his father when the announcement began but his father knew danger was imminent. He grabbed his arm and pulled him inside just as the bomb exploded.  As he told me his story, he pulled up his sleeve to show me a scar on his arm, from a piece of hot shrapnel that pierced his skin.  Along with an additional shrapnel scar on his back, the terrifying memories and a grainy cell phone video showing the remnants of the church are all he has left.