Christian priest shot dead in Iraq
Drive-by shooting in Baghdad is the latest attack on the Christian community.
“The sadness is everywhere in the house. I cannot find the suitable words to express the ordeal the family is going through.”
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The Christian community in Iraq has suffered an increasing number of attacks in recent months.
Last month, the body of Paulos Faraj Rahho, a Chaldean Catholic archbishop of Mosul, was found in a shallow grave in the city two weeks after being kidnapped.
Security measures ‘eased’
Meanwhile, the Iraqi government has eased security measures in the two Baghdad neighborhoods of Sadr City and Shula, strongholds of Muqtada al-Sadr’s Mahdi Army militia.
The decision came amid complaints of food shortages nearly a week after al-Sadr issued a ceasefire order.
According to a statement issued by Brigadier Genernal Qassim al-Moussawi, chief spokesman for the Iraqi military, trucks carrying maintenance teams, food products and ambulances are now allowed to travel into the areas.
A vehicle ban was previously in place in these areas
The blast occured during the morning rush hour, in an eastern area of Baghdad.
Meanwhile, in the southern city of Basra, residents say an airstrike killed four people and injured eight.
It comes a day after Iraq’s prime minister ordered a nationwide freeze on raids against militias.