Islamic State attacks the Christian village of Teleskuf, in the Nineveh plain
Some Christians guarding the village are wounded, and rushed to hospital. Residents had fled in August 2014 when Daesh stormed the region. Lately, the village had been under the control of Peshmerga and Christian volunteers. The Chaldean Patriarchate fears Jihadi attacks will drive out more people.
Baghdad (AsiaNews) – Early this morning, Islamic State (IS) fighters launched a heavy attack against a Christian village near Alqosh, in the plain of Nineveh, causing serious damage.
The village of Teleskuf is north of Mosul, a Jihadi stronghold ever since IS took control of the region two years ago.
In a statement sent to AsiaNews, the Chaldean Patriarchate noted that Christian guards wounded in the assault were rushed to hospital.
Like in other Christian villages in Nineveh Plain, Teleskuf residents fled their village in the summer of 2014 when Daesh (the Arab acronym for IS) swept through the region, and found refuge in Erbil, Iraqi Kurdistan.
In late 2014, the Jihadi group withdrew from the village, which ended up under Kurdish Peshmerga control. More recently, Christian guards were post to watch over the village, some of whom were wounded in today’s attack.
“We are worried that today’s presence of IS in this village and its destruction will disturb people in the nearby villages and force them to leave,” a Chaldean Patriarchate source told AsiaNews.
“Furthermore, it is unbearable to have displaced families more than we already have. We rely on people of goodwill to stop such acts of terrorism,” the source said.
As evinced by today’s attack by Caliphate fighters against Christians, the situation in Iraq does not seem to be improving.
As recently as yesterday, Chaldean Patriarch Mar Raphael Louis Sako harshly criticised Iraq’s leaders for failing to agree on a plan to rebuild the country.
Previously, the Auxiliary Bishop of Baghdad, Mgr Shlemon Warduni, said that Iraq had reached a “low point" in its history.
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