Three car bombs exploded within minutes of each other in Alghadeer, a Shiite neighborhood in eastern Baghdad, according to World Watch Monitor. The bombings coincided with US Secretary of State John Kerry visiting the capital to offer Iraq's new Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi support in the fight against the insurgents, who call themselves Islamic State.
Among the victims was a Christian couple who had become engaged on September 4. The man, Essam Elsamak, survived, but his fiancée, Raghda Adel, his mother, Maha Sallem Elsamak, and a three-year-old nephew, Ouday Imad, were killed. The bombing happened in the evening while they were walking around the Alghadeer shopping area.
"These last explosions were so close, we almost died," says a 40-year-old Christian woman living in Ighadeer. "I don't know if we will escape abroad or if we will die here. We can't bear to live in fear here anymore!" The woman's name is withheld for security reasons.
"My husband and I were on our way to the market that night, but when we saw how many people were there, my husband told me to go home," she says. "Only 10 minutes after we got home, we heard a huge explosion and another one after that. My 15-year-old daughter started crying; she is always so shocked when she hears explosions near our house. She is so scared and so is my 17-year-old son."
"There is no future for us as Christians in Baghdad," she says. "I will keep my two children home from school this year because the road they have to take is too dangerous. We want to leave and every day we hear about other Christians getting visas and leaving the country."
The church reaches out to those in need
That's why we have launched a relief operation for the needy Christians in Iraq, providing refugees with food, medicine, clothing, water and shelter.
In our project, relief is provided through the church in Iraq. The church in Iraq also provides help to other displaced people. Although the Iraqi Christians are under extreme pressure, it is touching to see that they are not only thinking of themselves, but reaching out to others in desperate need and providing hope. Thank you for donating to help our Christian brothers and sisters and others in need. It costs around $550 to provide an Iraqi refugee family with food, medicine, clothing and water for a month.
Also, please pray for them as they go through cruel suffering - just because they are Christians.
Getting aid to the persecuted Christians in Iraq is urgent. Many have had to flee their
home and only have the clothes they are wearing. Your help is desperately needed. Thank you for any gift you will give to those in need in Iraq. They need to know that they are not alone in this desperate situation. Also, thank you for praying for them and for the country and region.
