GPS News  
IRAQ WARS
Mosul church turned into IS religious police base
By Tony Gamal-Gabriel
Mosul, Iraq (AFP) March 10, 2017


Suicide bombers kill 26 at Iraq wedding celebration: police
Samarra, Iraq (AFP) March 9, 2017 - Two suicide bombers attacked a celebration being held the night before a wedding north of Baghdad, killing 26 people, a police officer and a doctor said on Thursday.

The bombings in the Al-Hajaj area, north of the city of Tikrit, also wounded 25 people, the sources said.

"The first blew himself up at 8:30 pm (1730 GMT on Wednesday) amid men who were dancing during the celebration," while the second attacked a few minutes later, a police lieutenant colonel said.

The bombers detonated explosive belts, the officer said.

A doctor at a local hospital confirmed the toll.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack, but the Islamic State jihadist group carries out frequent suicide bombings targeting both civilians and members of the security forces in Iraq.

IS overran large areas north and west of Baghdad, including swathes of Salaheddin province, where Wednesday's attack occurred, but Iraqi forces backed by US-led air strikes and other support have since regained most of the territory they lost.

Iraqi forces are now fighting to retake west Mosul, the largest urban bastion still held by the jihadists in Iraq.

But recapturing Mosul and the other remaining parts of the country still held by IS will not eliminate its threat, and the group may increasingly turn to bombings such as those in Al-Hajaj if it no longer holds territory.

The elegant columns of a west Mosul church stand plastered with Islamic State group propaganda after the jihadists' infamous religious police took over the Christian place of worship.

The sign above the door of Um al-Mauna (Our Mother of Perpetual Help) in Iraq's second city reads "Chaldean Catholic church", but its jihadist occupants had other ideas.

"No entry, by order of the Islamic State Hesba Division (the religious police), they wrote on the building's outside wall.

Five jihadists lie dead outside, their bodies twisted and one with the top of his skull blown off, after Iraqi forces retook the neighbourhood from IS this week.

The church "was an important office for the authorities tasked with making sure (Mosul) residents had a beard, wore short robes and followed their extremist convictions," says Lieutenant Colonel Abdulamir al-Mohammedawi of the elite Rapid Response Division.

Iraqi forces are pushing an offensive to retake the whole of Mosul, the jihadist group's last major urban bastion in the country, after retaking its eastern side in January.

IS fighters took control of the city in 2014, imposing their harsh interpretation of Islamic law on its inhabitants.

Above the door of the ochre-coloured church, IS members have damaged a stone cross. Not far away, they seem to have tried to rip another from a metal door off its hinges.

Not a single crucifix, or statue of Jesus Christ or the Virgin Mary has survived in the building's nave, from which all mark of Christianity has been methodically removed.

Only the grey marble altar remains. In the church's empty alcoves lies the base of a statue that was probably also destroyed, decorated with red and yellow flowers.

The posters on the church's marble columns give an indication of what life was like under IS.

- Chilling illustrations -

One shows religious invocations to repeat in the mornings and evenings, while another explains the benefits of praying in a mosque.

A "town document" lists the 14 rules of life in Mosul under jihadist rule: "The trade and consumption of alcohol, drugs and cigarettes is banned."

Women should wear modest attire and only appear in public "when necessary", it says.

A pamphlet on the rubble-covered ground explains the different forms of corporal punishment prescribed for theft, alcohol consumption, adultery and homosexuality.

It comes complete with chilling illustrations.

Jihadists have scribbled their noms de guerre on the church's walls, and a large chandelier has been dumped in the yard.

In the church's small side rooms, artificial flower garlands are draped near posters explaining how to use a Kalashnikov rifle.

Chaldeans make up the majority of Iraq's Christians. But a community that numbered more than a million before the 2003 ouster of Saddam Hussein has since dwindled to less than 350,000 in the face of recurring violence.

In June 2014, jihadist fighters led by IS seized control of Mosul and ordered the city's Christian community to convert to Islam, pay a special tax, leave or face execution.

Weeks later, the jihadists swept through Qaraqosh and the rest of the Nineveh Plain east of Mosul, where an estimated 120,000 Christians lived, prompting them all to flee.

But the Um al-Mauna Church is in a better condition than most of the rest of the Al-Dawasa neighbourhood, which has been ravaged by the fighting.

On one of its empty trading streets, once flashy shop facades have been reduced to contorted iron and shredded concrete.

On one poster advertising male clothing, IS members -- whose interpretation of Islam forbids human representation -- have blacked out the faces and bare arms of the models.

IRAQ WARS
Iraq PM says won't hesitate to strike jihadists in nearby countries
Baghdad (AFP) March 8, 2017
Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said Wednesday that he will not hesitate to strike "terrorist sites" in neighbouring countries, after Baghdad carried out air raids in Syria last month. "I will not hesitate to strike terrorist sites in neighbouring countries, if they threaten the security of Iraq," Abadi said in a speech in north Iraq, footage of which was posted online. Iraqi forces ... read more

Related Links
Iraq: The first technology war of the 21st century


Thanks for being here;
We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain.

With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords.

Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year.

If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor
$5 Billed Once


credit card or paypal
SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter
$5 Billed Monthly


paypal only


Comment on this article using your Disqus, Facebook, Google or Twitter login.

Share this article via these popular social media networks
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit GoogleGoogle

IRAQ WARS
Stabilizing soils with sulfates to improve their constructional properties

Hand-picked specialty crops 'ripe' for precision agriculture techniques

Colombia's 'drug triangle' puts hope in chocolate

Hand-picked specialty crops 'ripe' for precision agriculture techniques

IRAQ WARS
Hexagonal boron nitride enables the fabrication of 2-dimensional electronic memories

Super-fast computer made from DNA 'grows as it computes'

Chinese tech giant eyes global market with custom chip

Artificial synapse for neural networks

IRAQ WARS
U.S. Air Force F-16s to receive weapon systems update

Boeing to provide additional support for Saudi F-15s

Rheinmetall making ammunition for U.S. Air Force F-35s

Boeing to provide C-17 training for UAE

IRAQ WARS
Australia sues Audi, Volkswagen over emissions cheating

Norway says half of new cars now electric or hybrid

Volkswagen to recall over 680,000 Audis in China

Pressure mounts on Uber and CEO after missteps

IRAQ WARS
Britain owes EU two billion euros after China import fraud: probe

White House's Navarro: trade deficit threat to national security

China imports surge almost 40% on-year in February

Navy, shiny leather and suits: the big Paris fashion week trends

IRAQ WARS
How nature creates forest diversity

The battle to save Bangkok's 'Green Lung'

Ancient peoples shaped the Amazon rainforest

Indigenous protest in Honduras marks activist's murder

IRAQ WARS
TRIPLESAT Constellation Tasking with SpyMeSat Mobile App

'Angry' Australian summer weather smashes records

NASA examines deadly spring-like weather with GPM satellite

Flashy first images arrive from NOAA's GOES-16 lightning mapper

IRAQ WARS
Small nanoparticles have surprisingly big effects on polymer nanocomposites

Most complex nanoparticle crystal ever made by design

Nano 'sandwich' offers unique properties

Scientists create a nano-trampoline to probe quantum behavior









The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.