Christian Cemeteries in Iraq Vandalized by ISIS Militants
Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) militants vandalized a Christian cemetery and left a monastery and many homes ruined, based on an Assyrian news report.
On Nov. 27, ISIS militants vandalized two cemeteries in Kirkuk, leaving graves opened and the crosses and tombstone in ruins. Authorities failed to identify the individuals responsible for the said acts, according to the Assyrian International News Agency (AINA).
AINA published photos of the defiled graves and destroyed tombstones. The pictures show that the graves have been smashed open and the tombstones have been displaced from their original positions. Aside from that, AINA also listed 11 other Assyrian churches and monasteries that were attacked by ISIS.
A few days ago, 10 Assyrian homes were destroyed and several individuals were hurt after an ISIS bombing. A monastery of Assyrian nuns in northern Iraq was also affected by the blast. Word has it that the terror group threatened to bomb other villages in the region, the report details.
In August this year, almost 200,000 Assyrians fled from their homes in Iraq after the militants occupied the Nineveh Plains, the report adds.
The atrocities drew condemnation from both Christian and Muslim officials. Chaldean Patriarch Louis Sako released a statement saying they will not tolerate injustice and anti-Christian radical mindset despite their difficult situation, the report relays.
Fortunately, Christmas was a happy day for the Assyrian community because ISIS freed 25 of the Assyrian Christians that they took captive this year, Breitbart reports.
The Associated Press said the 25 hostages who were released arrived on Friday in the Christian town of Tal Tamr. The Assyrian Human Rights Network said the hostages consisted of 16 children and their mothers.
So far, ISIS has released a total of 148 Assyrians. The group had kidnapped 230 individuals when it overran the villages near Khabur River earlier this year.
