Church Bombings in Iraq Since 2004

by Assyrian International News Agency



(AINA) -- 70 churches have been attacked or bombed since June, 2004: 43 in Baghdad, 19 in Mosul, 7 in Kirkuk and 1 in Ramadi. The following is a list of the bombings.

Last updated on August 18, 2011. For a report on the persecution of Assyrians in Iraq, see Incipient Genocide: The Ethnic Cleansing of the Assyrians of Iraq.


August 15, 2011: 1 church attacked.

St. Ephraim Syriac Orthodox Church was bombed. No injuries were reported but the church suffered severe damage. Read full story and view photographs.

August 2, 2011: 1 church attacked.

A car bomb exploded outside a Catholic church [Holy Family Syrian Catholic Church] in central Kirkuk, Iraq, early Tuesday, wounding at least 20 people. Read full story and view photographs.

April 24, 2011: 2 churches attacked.

On Easter Sunday a bomb exploded outside the Sacred Heart church in Baghdad. No parishioners were injured. A firefight occurred outside Mary the Virgin Catholic Church as congregants huddled inside. Read full story.

October 31, 2010: 1 church attacked.

Al-Qaida terrorists attacked Our Lady of Deliverance Chaldean Catholic Church in Baghdad on Sunday evening during a church service. When police raided the church the terrorists set fire to their explosives, ultimately killing 58 parishioners, including two priests. Read full story with images.

December 23, 2009: 2 churches bombed.

In Mosul the church of St. George and the church of St. Thomas were bombed, killing three people. The church of St. Thomas is 1200 years old. Read more.

December 15, 2009: 2 churches bombed.

The Al Gahera (Our Lady of Purity) Syrian Orthodox Church in Mosul's city center was bombed and significantly damaged. 4 persons were killed and 40 injured.

The Al Beshara (Annunciation) Syrian Catholic Church in Mosul was bombed at 10:30. The bomb caused a minor explosion and damaged the wall, but nobody was hurt. Read complete story.

November 26, 2009: 1 church, 1 convent bombed.

In the western Jadida (New Mosul) district, the Church of St Ephrem and the St Theresa Convent of Dominican Nuns were bombed and heavily damaged. No casualties were reported. Read more.

July 12, 2009: 7 churches bombed.

Seven churches were bombed in Baghdad, killing 4 and injuring 18. The churches are:

The Church of St Mary in Sharaa Philistine, were four were killed
The Church of Saint George in the district at Madidi
The St. Joseph Church in Nafak, western Baghdad
The Church of the Sacred Heart
The church of St Peter and Paul
The Assyrian Church of Saint Mary
The St. James Church in Dora
Read full story.

January 9, 2008: 2 churches bombed.

Two churches were bombed in central and northern Kirkuk; three people were wounded. More details.

January 6, 2008: 7 churches bombed.

In Mosul:

Chaldean Church of Saint paul
Nunnery of Dominican Sisters
Orphanage of the Chaldean Sisters

In Baghdad:

Rum Orthodox Church (where the guard was injured)
Mar Ghorghis chaldean church in Ghadir area
Saint Paul Chaldean church in Zafaraniya area where, according to Mgr. Warduni, the carbomb was discovered before its explosion and defused.
Chladean sisters nunnery in Zafaraniya
One man was slightly injured in these bombings. For additional details, click here.

June 4, 2007. 2 churches attacked.

St. Jacob Church, near the Asia Neighborhood (Hay Asya) in Dora, was attacked and the Christian guards killed, the church was looted and will be turned into a mosque. St. John the Baptist Church near the Hay Al-Athoriyeen (Assyrian quarter) was also looted. Read more.

May 31, 2007. 1 convent attacked.

Shiites occupied the Angel Raphael Convent, belonging to the Chaldean Sisters of the Scared Heart, in Dora, Baghdad and turned it into a base for military operations. Read additional details.

May 18, 2007. 1 church attacked.

St. George Assyrian Church in the Dora neighborhood of Baghdad was firebombed. Learn more.

April 14, 2007. 2 churches, 1 monastery attacked.

An Islamic group forcefully removed the Cross from the churches of St. John and St. George in Dora, Baghdad. An affiliated Islamic group in Northern Iraq occupied the Assyrian monastery of Raban Hormuz.Read more.

November 1, 2006. 1 church bombed.

Unknown assailants bombed the entrance of the Dominican Clock Church compound, a Catholic church in Mosul. See complete story.

October 8, 2006. 1 church bombed.

Two bombs exploded around 6:30 A.M. near the Church of Virgin Mary on Palestine road in Baghdad. The outer walls of the church were damaged and the windows of many parked cars that belong to the church were shattered. One policeman was killed and many bystanders were injured.

October 4, 5 2006. 1 church attacked.

A group of men opened fire on the Chaldean Church of the Holy Spirit in Mosul, the second time in 8 days. Read more.

September 27, 2006. 1 church attacked.

A rocket attack was launched against the Chaldean Catholic Church of the Holy Spirit in Mosul. See entire story.

September 24, 2006. 1 church bombed.

St. Mary's Cathedral, the home of His Holiness Mar Addai II, Patriarch of The Ancient Church of the East, was bombed. Located in the Riyadh district of Baghdad the cathedral experienced dual bombings, a small IED followed, few minutes after, by a car detonation carrying a large amount of explosives. The bombing was timed to take place as the worshipers were leaving the Sunday morning sermon. 2 were killed and 20 injured. Read more.

September 8, 2006. 1 church bombed.

Two bombs exploded in front of the main gate of a church in al-Za'faraniyya in Baghdad. The explosions caused damage to the church and injured the church guards.

June 2, 2006. 1 church bombed.

Kaneesat al-Si'aood (The Church of Ascension) in Baghdad was attacked by a rocket bomb. The bomb caused damage to the church building and made a hole in the church dome.

February 1 2006. 1 church bombed.

The Baghdad Seventh-day Adventist Church was bombed for the second time in two years, injuring an armed guard, one of two permanently stationed to protect the church compound. Read more.

January 29, 2006. 4 churches bombed.

Car bombs exploded outside the Vatican embassy and near four churches in Iraq, killing at least three people.

In Kirkuk, three civilians were killed and one wounded in the attack on the Church of the Virgin, and six civilians were hurt in the blast outside an Orthodox church.

In Baghdad, car bombs exploded outside St Joseph's Catholic Church in the suburb of Sina'a and an Anglican church in the eastern Nidhal area. Read full story.

November 2, 2005. 1 church bombed.

At approximately 5:00 P.M. a car bomb exploded near the Church of Mar Giwargis (St. George) in the Assyrian quarter of Almas district in Kirkuk. 3 were killed.

July 16, 2005 1 church bombed.

A small explosion rocked the Assyrian Church in Habbaniya, Ramadi in Iraq. There was some damage to the roof of the church.

December 7, 2004. 2 churches bombed.

The Al-Tahira Chaldean Catholic Church and Armenian church that was under construction were bombed in Mosul. The first blast struck the al-Tahira ("the pure," in reference to the Virgin Mary) Church about 2:30 p.m. in al-Shifa' neighborhood, eastern Mosul. Ten armed men stormed the church, planted explosives throughout it, and set the bombs off wounding three people and destroying most of it. An hour later, gunmen bombed in al-Wahda neighborhood, western Mosul, an Armenian church under construction. No casualties were reported there. Read full story.

November 8, 2004. 1 church bombed.

St Bahnam's Catholic church in Dora, Baghdad was bombed, killing 3 people and wounded 40.
Police said a car bomb had exploded outside the church, but witnesses said it appeared explosives were planted nearby. Read full story.

October 16, 2004. 5 churches bombed.

Five churches were bombed in Baghdad in a coordinated attack.

The church of Saint Joseph in the west of the Iraqi capital was hit at about 4:00 am (0100 GMT).

Twenty minutes later, another blast ripped through the streets at another Saint Joseph church, in Dora, southern Baghdad. After another 20 minutes, Saint Paul's church was struck in the same area.

At 4:50 am, the Roman Catholic St. George church in the central district of Karrada was rocked by a blast and engulfed in flames, leaving the wood-built sanctuary completely charred.

A fifth explosion occurred about an hour later at Saint Thomas church in Mansour, to the west.

An artillery shell, believed to be intended for the church, was fired into a car park between a hotel and Saint George's Anglican Church. Read complete story.

September 11, 2004. 1 church bombed.

A car bomb exploded outside the Virgin Mary Seventh-Day Adventist Church in the Al-Sa'doun Park in the center of Baghdad.

September 10, 2004. 1 church bombed.

A bomb exploded at the Assyrian Anglican Church at al-Andalus Street in Baghdad. The explosion occurred during the night.

August 1, 2004. 5 churches bombed.

Five Assyrian, and one Armenian, Churches were bombed simultaneously in Baghdad and Mosul. Twelve Assyrians were killed and some 60 injured:

Church Sayidat al-Najat (Our Lady of Salvation) - Karrada, Baghdad
Church Sayidat al-Zohour (Our Lady of the Flowers) - Karrada, Baghdad (Armenian Catholic Church)
Sts. Peter & Paul, Dora, Baghdad
St. Paul Church - Center of Mosul
St. Elia, Baghdad
St. Mary's Church in east Baghdad (car bomb disarmed by police). Read more.

June 26, 2004. 1 church attacked.

Two unidentified men in a silver Opel throw a hand bomb at the Holy Spirit Church (al-Rooh al-Qudos) in the Akha' quarter in Mosul. The explosion injured the sister of the priest.

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(Posting date 16 July 2012)

Reproduced with permission from Assyrian International News Agency (AINA). Originally posted to Internet on 19 August 2012.

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