As the liberation of the Nineveh Plains gets underway, Kurdistan bishop waits for Pope Francis
Erbil (AsiaNews) - The taking of the Mosul dam is an important first step, which marks a "change" in the political and military situation in Iraq and the start of the "liberation" of the villages in the Nineveh Plains. However, teams of bomb disposal experts are needed to clear the anti-personnel mines laid down by Islamic State militants to halt the advance of Iraqi troops and peshmerga, said Mgr Rabban Al-Qas, bishop of Amadiyah, in Kurdistan, which together with other diocese is helping out tens of thousands of displaced people from Mosul, Qaraqosh and Ankawa.
When asked about a possible visit by Pope Francis to Kurdistan as a sign of peace to the whole country and comfort to the victims whatever their ethnicity and religion, the Kurdish prelate answered without hesitation: "We look forward to his coming."
Today Iraqi security forces launched a major operation to push Islamists out of Tikrit, hometown of former dictator Saddam Hussein. Their rapid military advance in places like the Nineveh Plains has been however hampered by mines and unexploded bombs left on roadsides, not to mention snipers. At the same time, the US Air Force is continuing its strikes. In recent days, the air campaign forced the Islamic State to pull back from the Mosul dam, which it had seized on 7 August.
On Sunday, Peshmerga (Kurdish fighters) and regular Iraqi army began a joint ground offensive, facilitated by 25 US air strikes that hit jihadist-held strategic locations. More than 500 Islamist militants were driven from the area, retreating to areas under their control, including Mosul, Iraq's second largest city, which has been in Caliphate hands since June.
"The peshmerga are afraid of advancing," Mgr Rabban, "or entering towns and villages taken from terrorists because of mines. This is why we need to start large-scale mine clearing operations with the help of experienced and qualified staff."
The peshmerga, the prelate said, are "ready for war", but we need "weapons" and support from the international community in order to "stop the terrorists and isolate them."
The bishop of Amadiyah reports the "beginning of the liberation of the villages in the Nineveh Plain," but for now, Christians "cannot return to their homes." Once roads and land are cleared of mines, and homes secured, "we must have the courage to return home and resume everyday life."
At present, the prelate said, the aim is "to expel the terrorists from Mosul," despite indications that "another 5,000 terrorists are ready to enter Iraq from Turkey to fight the jihad."
"As scary such reports are, Christians are still alive and despite losing their material possessions, they should not lose hope."
On the humanitarian front, Mgr Rabban spoke about the decision by the Kurdish Prime Minister to allocate US$ 12 million for Christian refugees from the Nineveh Plains.
With its priests, the Chaldean Church has begun to conduct an actual census of households and register people in order to hand out the aid.
"We want to have the exact figures," said the bishop, "the number of families, how many children they have, place of origin and where they are housed. More than 36,000 Christians could benefit from the funds made available by the Kurdish government."
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