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（1）Christians flee Iraqi city after killings, threats, officials say, 11 October 2008
by Mohammed Tawfeeq
BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- At least 900 Christian families have fled Mosul in the past week, terrified by a series of killings and threats by Muslim extremists ordering them to convert to Islam or face possible death, officials said Saturday.
The attacks may have been prompted by Christian demonstrations ahead of provincial elections, which are to be held by the end of January, the deputy governor of Nineveh province said.
Deputy Gov. Khasro Goran said 13 Christians have been slain in the past two weeks in Mosul, about 260 miles (420 kilometers) north of Baghdad. Fleeing Christians have sought refuge in monasteries and churches and with family members in other towns, an Interior Ministry official said.
The attacks began after hundreds of Christians took to the streets in Mosul and surrounding villages and towns, seeking greater representation on provincial councils, whose members will be chosen in the local elections.
Duraid Mohammed Kashmoula, Nineveh's governor, told The Associated Press that the exodus was "a major displacement."
"Of course, al Qaeda elements are behind this campaign against Christians," Kashmoula told AP.
The Interior Ministry official said the homes of three families were destroyed with explosives Saturday after the occupants left. No injuries were reported.
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A week ago, leaflets were distributed in several predominantly Christian neighborhoods, threatening families to "either convert to Islam or pay the jizyah or leave the city or face death," said the Interior Ministry official.
Historically, jizyah is a tax paid by non-Muslims in exchange for protection.
Goran said that a few days after the leaflets were passed out, gunmen set up checkpoints in parts of Mosul, stopping vehicles to inspect identification papers, searching for Christian names or other signs of religious affiliation. Many of the Christians killed were targeted in this way, he said.
Bashir Azoz, 45, told AP he fled his Mosul home after gunmen warned a neighbor to leave or be killed.
"Where is the government and its security forces as these crimes take place every day?" asked Azoz, a carpenter who is staying with his wife and three children in a town about 25 miles (40 kilometers) east of Mosul, according to AP.
The Rev. Bolis Jacob, of Mosul's Mar Afram Church, told AP he couldn't understand the attacks.
"We respect the Islamic religion and the Muslim clerics," he said. "We don't know under what religion's pretexts these terrorists work."
Goran said police have set up security checkpoints in Christian neighborhoods.
In response to the violence, Iraqi Defense Minister Abdul Qader al-Obaidi visited Mosul on Saturday morning, conducting meetings with local authorities and military commanders.
His spokesman, Mohammed al-Askari, said that in addition to ordering more checkpoints in Christian neighborhoods, al-Obaidi ordered more troops deployed, additional security patrols and an increase in aerial surveillance of Christian areas.
Al-Obaidi also ordered more guards for Christian clerics, al-Askari said.
・Copyright 2008 CNN. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Associated Press contributed to this report.
（2）Hundreds more Christian families flee Iraq city, 15 October 2008
BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- The number of Christian families who have fled the northern Iraqi city of Mosul in the past week has reached 1,350, authorities said Wednesday.
Iraqi policemen patrol Tuesday outside a Christian church in the Baghdad district of Dora.
Nineveh Deputy Governor Khasro Goran said the new numbers were provided by the provincial city's office of immigration and displaced persons.
The families fled, reportedly frightened by a series of killings and threats by Muslim extremists ordering them to convert to Islam or face possible death, Iraqi officials said.
Fourteen Christians have been slain in the past two weeks in the city, which is located about 260 miles (420 kilometers) north of Baghdad.
In response to the attacks, authorities ordered more checkpoints in several of the city's Christian neighborhoods.
The attacks may have been prompted by Christian demonstrations ahead of provincial elections, which are to be held by January 31, 2009, authorities said.
Hundreds of Christians took to the streets in Mosul and surrounding villages and towns, demanding adequate representation on provincial councils, whose members will be chosen in the local elections.
One family -- a husband and wife with four children -- fled the Sukkr neighborhood of Mosul last Thursday to stay with relatives in a town north of the city.
Iraq: Businessman killed as attacks on Christians continue
Christians flee Iraqi city after killings, threats, officials say
The wife, who refused to give her name out of fear of reprisals, insisted that the family leave the house where they had lived for the past 22 years because they had heard friends had been killed.
She said neighbors encouraged them to stay but they were too frightened.
The family told relatives in Bashiqa, about 12 miles (20 kilometers) north of Mosul, they did not know why the violence against Christians was happening.
The relative said the family was disappointed and frustrated by the government's lack of action.
"We are not sure if we will go back again," said the wife, who worked as a nurse at a hospital . "We are still waiting for the government to provide us safety."
She said her husband is a businessman and their children range in age from 3 to 14.
A curfew was declared Wednesday in several neighborhoods of eastern Mosul as authorities searched for militants behind the attacks.
Iraqi president Jalal Talabani met with U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker on Sunday to discuss security, and Vice President Tariq al-Hashemi held a news conference with a group of local priests and bishops.
"The state, its security services and armed forces must take one stand so they can do their part in these conditions and protect our Christian brothers because they are our partners in rebuilding this nation," al-Hashemi said.
Meanwhile, the U.S. military announced Wednesday that coalition forces recently killed al Qaeda in Iraq's senior leader in northern Iraq.
Abu Qaswarah, also known as Abu Sara, was killed during an operation in Mosul on October 5, the military said.
The Moroccan native is second in command to al Qaeda in Iraq leader Abu Ayyub al-Masri, according to the military.
・CNN's Mohammed Tawfeeq contributed to this report
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