ASIA/IRAQ - A church in Qaraqosh bombed by the anti-Caliphate coalition

Qaraqosh (Agenzia Fides) - The bombings carried out in the Nineveh Plain by the US-led coalition against posts of the Islamic State (IS) have hit and devastated the church of the Resurrection, near the town of Qaraqosh, inhabited mainly by Christian Syriac Catholics before falling under the control of the jihadists of the IS. The news, relaunched by Arab sites such as ankawa.com, has been confirmed by local sources to Fides Agency. The church, located in the area of the cemetery, was consecrated in 2009 and belonged to the Syrian Catholic Church, but was also used by other Churches and Christian communities, especially for funerals. The place of worship has been identified and hit as a logistics base of the jihadists, who, after having occupied the church had also removed the cross from the roof. The inhabitants of Qaraqosh had fled from their homes in the night between 6 and 7 August, before the advance of the militia of the IS and after the Kurdish Peshmerga militia, deployed in defense of the city, had received the order to retreat (see fides 7 and 08/08/2014). (GV) (Agenzia Fides 16/10/2014)