2013 Iraq Christmas Day bombings

Last updated
2013 Iraq Christmas Day bombings
LocationBaghdad, Iraq
Date25 December 2013
TargetChristians
Attack type
Bombings
Deaths38
Non-fatal injuries
70

On 25 December 2013, three separate bombings in Baghdad, Iraq targeted Christians, killing 38 people and wounding 70 others.

Baghdad Capital of Iraq

Baghdad is the capital of Iraq. The population of Baghdad, as of 2016, is approximately 8,765,000, making it the largest city in Iraq, the second largest city in the Arab world, and the second largest city in Western Asia.

Iraq Republic in Western Asia

Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in Western Asia, bordered by Turkey to the north, Iran to the east, Kuwait to the southeast, Saudi Arabia to the south, Jordan to the southwest and Syria to the west. The capital, and largest city, is Baghdad. Iraq is home to diverse ethnic groups including Arabs, Kurds, Chaldeans, Assyrians, Turkmen, Shabakis, Yazidis, Armenians, Mandeans, Circassians and Kawliya. Around 95% of the country's 37 million citizens are Muslims, with Christianity, Yarsan, Yezidism and Mandeanism also present. The official languages of Iraq are Arabic and Kurdish.

Christianity in Iraq

The Christians of Iraq are considered to be one of the oldest continuous Christian communities in the world. The vast majority of Iraqi Christians are indigenous Eastern Aramaic-speaking ethnic Iraqi-Assyrians. Non-Syriac Iraqi Christians are largely Arab Christians and Armenians, and a very small minority of Kurdish and Iraqi Turkmen Christians. Syriac Christianity was first established in Mesopotamia, and the Church of the East and its successor churches were established in central-southern Iraq. Syriac Christianity and would eventually spread to becoming one of the most popular Christian churches in the Middle East and Fertile Crescent Region, and would spread as far as India and China. Iraq plays a rich and vital contribution to Christian history, and after Palestine/Israel, Iraq has the most biblical history than any other country in the world. The patriarch Abraham was from Uruk, in southern Iraq, modern day Nasiriya, and Rebecca was from northwest Iraq. Additionally, Jacob’s sons, the 12 tribes of Israel, were all born in Iraq, and Daniel lived in Iraq most of his life. The prophet Ezekial was from southern Iraq and his shrine is located there. Shrines of Prophet Jonah, Saint George, and various other biblical prophets and saints are attributed to have been originally from Iraq. Adam and Eve are also widely thought to have hailed from Iraq, as the biblical Garden of Eden is largely attributed to have been located in southern Iraq. The number of Christians of Iraq is said to be at around 500,000-1.5 million, according to the EU Research Services on minorities in Iraq, although numbers vary from source to source due to the last Iraqi census having taken place more than 30 years ago. A census is scheduled to take place in 2020 in which the numbers of Christians in Iraq will be clarified.

Contents

Bombings

Two bombs first exploded simultaneously in an outdoor market in the Christian section of Athorien in Baghdad. [1] The market attack killed 11 and wounded 14. [2]

A few minutes later, about half a mile away, [3] a car bomb went off near St. John's Roman Catholic Church in Baghdad's southern Dora neighborhood. [1] According to officials, "The bomb detonated at the end of Christmas prayers as worshipers were leaving the church." [3] This bombing killed 27 and wounded 56. [2]

In total, the bombings targeting the two Christian-populated sites killed 38 and wounded 70. [2] No group claimed responsibility for the attacks. [4]

Reaction

See also

On August 1, 2004, a series of car bomb attacks took place during the Sunday evening Mass in churches of two Iraqi cities, Baghdad and Mosul. The six attacks killed at least 12 people and wounded at least 71. No one claimed responsibility for the attacks, but Iraq's national security adviser, Mowaffaq al-Rubaie, blamed the attacks on Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. The bombings marked the first major attack against the Christian community since the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

2008 attacks on Christians in Mosul was a series of attacks which targeted the Christians in Mosul, Iraq. The Christians of Mosul who were already targeted during the Iraq War left the city en masse heading to Assyrian villages in Nineveh Plains and Iraqi Kurdistan. Both Sunni extremists, and Kurdish peshmerga were blamed for the attacks.

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The 19 August 2009 Baghdad bombings were three coordinated car bomb attacks and a number of mortar strikes in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad. The explosives went off simultaneously across the capital at approximately 10:45 in the morning, killing at least 101 and wounding at least 565, making it the deadliest attack since the 14 August 2007 Yazidi communities bombings in northern Iraq which killed almost 800 people. The bombings were targeted at both government and privately owned buildings.

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This list is limited to bombings and does not include other forms of attacks.

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References

  1. 1 2 3 "U.S. condemns Christmas Day bombings that targeted Christians and killed at least 37 in Iraq". Associated Press. 25 December 2013.
  2. 1 2 3 "Christmas attacks show security challenges in Iraq and Afghanistan". CNN. 26 December 2013.
  3. 1 2 "Worshipers Are Targeted at a Christmas Service in Baghdad". The New York Times. 25 December 2013.
  4. ↑ "U.S. condemns Christmas attacks that kill 37 Christians in Iraq". Los Angeles Times. 25 December 2013.
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