Series of attacks in Iraq, dozens of dead. Church of St Mathew in Baghdad targeted
Baghdad (AsiaNews) - The
Syrian Orthodox Church of St. Matthew, in Baghdad,
is one of the objectives targeted by Iraqi extremists, who this morning carried
out a series of attacks across the country to coincide with the ninth
anniversary of the U.S.
invasion -
March 20, 2003 - to overthrow Saddam Hussein Nasser. Church
sources in Iraq
asking for anonymity for safety reasons, told AsiaNews, that the two guards were killed in the attack, while five
others were injured. Meanwhile,
the provisional toll from the bomb attacks - in more than 20 explosions - in
the capital, in Kirkuk, in the Shiite holy city
of Karbala, and
Hillah in Mahmoudiya is at least 39 dead and 200 wounded.
AsiaNews
sources in Iraq confirm
"at least the 20 explosions" in different areas of the country,
including the bombing of the church
of St. Matthew, which
"caused the death of two guards and wounded five other people." At
present it is unclear if the place of Christian worship was the real target of
the extremist. In
Kirkuk, a city 300 km
north of the capital, there were "three blasts that caused about 10 deaths
and more than 40 wounded" in a neighborhood where the attackers "have
targeted a police station."
Reports speak of 13 other deaths and fifty wounded in Karbala, the Shiite holy
city, where two car bombs exploded. More
attacks were reported in Hillah, Latifuyah and other areas of Iraq, although
currently there is no official news.
The
long trail of blood today marks the ninth anniversary of the U.S. invasion
and is just the latest in a series of unending violence that mark a nation
divided between Arabs, Kurds and Turkmen, and where Christians are often the
victim of revenge caught in the crosshairs of power plays. From
2003 to December 2011, the date of complete withdrawal of U.S. troops, 4,550 U.S. soldiers have died and 300
allies. However,
the real carnage regards the Iraqi civilian population, which has around 100
thousand casualties since the war began.
Iraqi
political experts interviewed by AsiaNews emphasize that today's attacks could
be linked to the upcoming Arab League summit, to be held in Baghdad - for the
first time since 1990 - between 27 and 29 March next. "There
are nations - said the expert - who want to derail the summit, because the
league is composed of a majority of Sunnis." Added
to this is "the feast of Nawruz", the traditional celebration that
marks the new year for Shiite and Kurdish communities. Born
within the pre-Islamic era sacred to the Zoroastrians, it is now observed by
many Sufi and Baha'i.
The
attackers, said the source, want to strike at key events and "we expect
more attacks in the coming hours and days to come." Violence in Iraq "is
not finished." (DS)
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