LONDON/ROME: No one knows how many Iraqi Christians will flock to witness the historic visit of Pope Francis to Iraq, for the simple reason that no one knows exactly how many of the faithful remain in a country that can trace its Christian roots back to the earliest days of the faith.
Plagued by years of internal strife following the US-led invasion in 2003, Iraq has not conducted a census of its population since 1997.
One planned for 2020, the year the coronavirus pandemic struck the world, was not carried out. But while estimates of the number of Christians in Iraq have varied over the years, they have all agreed on one thing that in modern times, the population of one of the oldest Christian communities in the world has steadily dwindled in the face of increasing insecurity and persecution.
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New Report Condemns Turkish Airstrikes Near Assyrians
01/22/2021 Iraq (International Christian Concern) – A new report issued by Assyrian Policy Institute showcases the plight of Assyrian Christians in Iraq struggling to survive as victims caught between Turkey and the terrorist organization PKK. The Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) operates primarily in southeastern Turkey, northeastern Syria and northern Iraq. As Turkey seeks to combat the PKK, they routinely order airstrikes and ground initiatives well into Iraq’s borders. It is here that Assyrians sustain serious attacks as innocent bystanders.
Official counts indicate that there were 52 airstrikes by Turkey in Assyrian-inhabited land, although the actual number is suspected to higher. Turkey, despite being a NATO member, has received international criticism for failing to take precautions to avoid civilian deaths and destruction of civilian territory. According to API, these airstrikes continue to force Assyrians off of their