Iraq: Mosul - strengthened security, Christians asked to return
The Iraqi army has asked those Christians
who left Mosul over the past few weeks to return to the city, assuring
them that security has been restored and that it has regained control of
all areas. "About 350 families have already returned to their homes"
said the chief of military operations in Nineveh province, gen. Riyad Jalal,
during a press conference also featuring the deputy prime minister Rafi
al Eissawi, adding that "the areas where the Christians are living,
including the churches, are all secure thanks to the deployment of additional
security forces". Yesterday, the minister for human rights, Ghanem
al-Ghanem stated that Christians had stopped leaving Mosul last Wednesday,
when the army started to patrol the more dangerous areas, restoring serenity
among the population. UNHCR said that over the past week. Some 1560 families
left Mosul after a series of attacks that largely targeted their community,
causing the death of at least 12 people; the refugees - about 9400 people
in total - represents almost half of the entire Christian community in
Mosul, the capital of Nineveh province. [AB]