Posted on 10/31/2010 5:28:33 PM PDT by Cardhu
At least 37 people have been killed after Iraqi security forces stormed a Catholic church in central Baghdad to free dozens of hostages being held by gunmen there, security sources say.
Twenty-five hostages were among the dead, along with seven members of the Iraqi security forces and at least five of the attackers, they told the BBC.
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.
Continue reading the main story Struggle for IraqEnd to Iraq's epic journey in sight? US troops in Iraq combat dilemma Deadly attacks on Iraqi reporters Bittersweet memories for Iraqis 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.
The raid came two days after a suicide attack on a cafe in Diyala province left 21 people dead.
'Priest killed'
Residents of Baghdad's Karada district, where the attack took place, first heard a loud explosion at about 1700 (1400 GMT), 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.
(Excerpt) Read more at bbc.co.uk ...
God bless these people.
speechless.
I can’t count the number of different accounts I’ve heard on this story. Most of them have been posted here on FR. FOX made mention of it earlier today. I guess we’ll have to wait another day or so to hear what really happened (that is, when the election is over). Sad.
Islam delenda est.
Muslim animals.
The Religion of [Body] Parts (ROP) stikes again.
Please Dear Lord, welcome these martyrs into your kingdom with open and loving arms.
Indeed.
Ping
Eternal rest be given to those who died O Lord.
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May they rest in peace. More innocent lives lost in the name of Islam.
Muslims like killing people.
Every time people die outside of work place killings, or family murders; the moslem religion of peace/death is always behind every outrage. How long before the West wise's up? Islam and moslems are behind all terrorism.
Read the Koran, then tell your family and friends; islam and moslems are nothing more than a repudiation of all that normal human beings hold dear. islam's a sickening cult of death. Made up of weaklings who can't rise above their lowly caste. They are lazy, bestial, lowly and perverse fools who sink to the lowest common denominator in life. islam's merely an excuse to exercise their twisted desires!
“after Iraqi security forces stormed a Catholic church in central Baghdad”
To the Iraqi security forces, it was a no-brainer - just shoot everybody. The non-Iraqi Arabs for getting in their business, and the Christians because you can blame it on the Arabs.
WTF? Megan Kelly said it was all over and they had been released. Prayers ....
Joining the un-named saints that stretch from the time of the Coliseum throughout history.
Prayers sent.
Iraqi Defense 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.
A cryptically worded statement posted late Sunday on a militant website allegedly by the Islamic State of Iraq appeared to claim responsibility for the attack. The group, which is linked to al-Qaida in Iraq, said it would “exterminate Iraqi Christians” if Muslim women are not freed within 48 hours from ministries and churches run by the Christian Coptic church in Egypt.
The message’s authenticity could not be immediately verified.
Iraqi Christians, who have been frequent targets for Sunni insurgents, have left in droves since the 2003 U.S.-led war. Some 1.25 million Christians, 80 percent of them Catholic, used to live in Iraq. There are an estimated 870,000 left today.
“The government shoulders some responsibility when it fails to protect its citizens,” said Younadim Kanna, an Iraqi parliamentarian who is Christian. “Despite all of these terrorist attacks against the Christians, we are determined not to leave our country. And we will not be intimidated.”
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