Hostages killed in Iraqi Catholic Church siege

[Hedley Lamarr]

Hostages die in Iraq church siege



An Iraqi policeman stands guard near the church in Baghdad where 120 Iraqi Christians were held hostage
Islamic militants held around 120 Iraqi Christians hostage for nearly four hours in a church before security forces stormed the building and freed them, ending a stand-off that left many dead.

Security officials said the militants, allegedly linked to al Qaida in Iraq, were on the phone with Iraqi authorities demanding the release of imprisoned female fighters when the security forces attacked.

The stand-off began at dusk on Sunday when the militants attacked the nearby Iraqi stock exchange, officials said. Police then chased the insurgents toward the Our Lady of Deliverance Church - one of Baghdad's main Catholic places of worship.

Worshippers inside were listening to a bible reading when the gunmen burst in. It was reported that the assailants were wearing suicide vests and armed with grenades.

Parishioner Marzina Matti Yalda said: "As we went outside the hall to see what was happening, gunmen stormed the main gate and they started to shoot at us.

"Many people fell down, including a priest, while some of us ran inside and took shelter in a locked room. We were packed together as we waited for the security forces to arrive."

US Army spokesman, Lt Col Eric Bloom said at least 19 people were killed - seven hostages, seven Iraqi security troops and five militants. As many as 30 people were wounded, including a priest and a nun, he said.

Iraqi military officials said the death toll was at least nine, while police and medical officials put it as high as 37. There were also conflicting reports about the militants' fate.

An Iraqi police official put the number of insurgents at 10 and said all were captured, while the US military said between five and seven attackers died. Baghdad military spokesman Maj Gen Qassim al-Moussawi said security forces killed eight attackers.

Iraqi defence minister Abdul-Qadir al-Obeidi said "the terrorists were planning to murder the highest number of hostages". Across Iraq, security forces were alerted to new threats against Christians.

[Maguire01]

Are you goning to copy and paste the whole BBC News site?

[Hedley Lamarr]

Are you goning to copy and paste the whole BBC News site?

Your English is really improving

[Zapatista]

That's like the bible. It contradicts everything it says.

[Maguire01]

Are you goning to copy and paste the whole BBC News site?

Your English is really improving

You really got me there. 

[Hedley Lamarr]

Are you goning to copy and paste the whole BBC News site?

Your English is really improving

You really got me there. 

This is the BBC article giving the number dead as 37

Baghdad church hostage drama ends in bloodbath
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AdvertisementThe BBC's Jim Muir in Baghdad says that the full death toll remains unclear
At least 37 people have been killed as Iraqi security forces stormed a Catholic church in central Baghdad to free dozens of hostages being held by gunmen there, security sources say.

A priest, seven members of Iraqi security forces and five attackers were said to be among the dead but officials said most hostages were rescued.

About 100 people had been inside Our Lady of Salvation for an evening Mass.

The gunmen had reportedly demanded the release of jailed al-Qaeda militants.

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The local TV station, al-Baghdadiya, said it had received a phone call from someone claiming to be one of the attackers, who said they were from the Islamic State of Iraq, a Sunni militant umbrella group to which al-Qaeda in Iraq belongs.

Reports said the attackers were not Iraqis, but foreign Arabs.

'Worshippers beaten'

Residents of Baghdad's Karada district, where the attack took place, first heard a loud explosion at about 1700 (1400 GMT) on Sunday, followed by gunfire.

Police said a group of armed men began by attacking the Iraq Stock Exchange building, and then took over the Catholic church just across the road, clashing with guards and killing some of them.

It seems the church was the attackers' real target, says the BBC's Jim Muir in Baghdad.


This file photo shows the inside of the Our Lady of Salvation church One eyewitness, who was inside the church, said the gunmen "came into the prayer hall and immediately killed the priest". The witness, who declined to give his name, said worshippers were beaten and herded into an inner hall.

There was a long stand-off as security forces surrounded the building with helicopters hovering overhead.

The militants made contact with the authorities by mobile phone, demanding the release of al-Qaeda prisoners and also of a number of Muslim women they insisted were being held prisoner by the Coptic Church in Egypt.

But the discussions got nowhere, our correspondent says, and the security forces stormed the church.

Witnesses nearby said they then heard two explosions from inside the church and more shooting. The gunmen reportedly threw grenades and detonated their suicide vests.

As well as those killed, some 56 people were wounded in the battle, police sources said.

'Impossible to wait'

The Iraqi defence minister, Abdul-Qadr al-Obeidi, said security forces approached the building at ground level and from the air.

"We took a decision to launch a land offensive, and in addition an airdrop, because it was impossible to wait - the terrorists were planning to kill a large number of our brothers, the Christians who were at Mass.

"So the operation was successfully done. All terrorists were killed. And we now have other suspects in detention," Mr Obeidi said.

Witnesses say they saw US troops on the ground and US military helicopters hovering above the scene, but the extent of their involvement is not yet clear.

Many churches have been bombed in recent years - including Our Lady of Salvation in August 2004 - and priests kidnapped and killed, but there has never been a prolonged hostage situation like this before, our correspondent says.

There are about 1.5 million Christians from ancient denominations in Iraq.

Iraqi Christians have been leaving the country in droves since the US-led invasion in 2003.

[Banana Man]

i think the BBC gave the number as 10 of the 37 were parishoners

on a side note, when they were shifting pedo priests from parish to parish how come no one was shipped out to Iraq, they'd think twice about it the next time