Christians flee Iraqi city of Mosul after killings

Local organizations, meanwhile, appealed for help as they faced a flood of internal refugees.

"Thousands of people fled virtually overnight, many with only the clothes on their back," said Jamil Abdul-Ahad, the head of an interfaith Christian council in Mosul that has been distributing blankets and food aid to the internal refugees.

Iraq's government sent police reinforcements, and patrols were stepped up in Christian communities.

For many Christians, this was not enough.

"Our situation needs active work, not just media propaganda from government officials," Abdul-Ahad said. "The government should protect Christians in Mosul and safeguard their rights."

Killings prompt flight
The governor of Ninevah province, which includes Mosul, said Christians began fleeing in force last week after seven Christians were reported killed.

"Fear spread because of threats from al-Qaida and 'Takfiris' (Sunni extremists) toward Christians and the assassinations of some of them," Gov. Duraid Mohammed Kashmoula said.

Bashar Jirjis Habash, the secretary of the committee for Christian affairs in the nearby town of Qaraqosh, said some families began arriving there after receiving threats in early September as the Islamic fasting month of Ramadan got under way.

There were conflicting reports on the number of Christians who have fled the city, although local officials said there were fewer leaving on Monday.

The International Organization for Migration, an intergovernmental humanitarian group based in Switzerland, estimated that at least 829 families had been displaced and said Iraqi officials were asking for tents and plastic sheeting for possible camps to house them all.

Thousands have fled
One senior government official in Mosul, Jawdat Ismaeel, said the latest figures show that 1,092 families, or some 4,400 people, have fled the city.

The ongoing military operation in Mosul began in May after the Iraqi army proved itself in sharp fighting against Shiite extremists in the southern city of Basra.

In an interview published Monday by The Times of London, Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki said Iraqi forces had performed so well in Basra that the 4,100 British troops in southern Iraq were no longer needed to provide security, although some should stay to help in training.

"Definitely, the presence of this number of British soldiers is no longer necessary. We thank them for the role they have played, but I think that their stay is not necessary for maintaining security and control," al-Maliki said.

In London, a spokesman for the Ministry of Defense agreed that Britain's military role was shifting from fighting to training and that al-Maliki had "acknowledged this important mentoring and training role."

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