Death Toll Raised In Baghdad Church Massacre

Death Toll Rises After Iraq Church Standoff -- New York Times

BAGHDAD — A day after Iraqi forces stormed a church in Baghdad where gunmen had taken close to 100 hostages, Interior Ministry officials said on Monday that at least 58 people, including two priests, had been killed and 75 wounded in an afternoon of chaos that became a bloodbath. The death toll was considerably higher than initially reported.

Abdul-Kader Jassem al-Obeidi, the defense minister, said that most of the hostages were killed or wounded when the kidnappers set off at least two suicide vests as they took over the church. He defended the decision to storm the building, saying, “ This was a successful operation with a minimum of casualties, and killing all the terrorists.”

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More News On Yesterday's Baghdad Church Massacre

Death toll rises to 58 in Iraq church standoff -- CNN
Death Toll Rises Following Iraqi Church Hostage Rescue -- Voice of America
Baghdad church hostage drama ends in bloodbath -- BBC
Death toll rises to 58 in Baghdad church attack -- Xinhuanet
Baghdad church hostage drama: death toll hits 52 -- The Telegraph
Baghdad church siege leaves 52 dead -- The Guardian
Deadly Baghdad church siege highlights threat to Iraqi Christians -- Christian Science Monitor