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Il general Kasdano su Al Jazeera

Following the conference in February, which we also had the honor to participate, Aljazeera devoted an episode of the most popular listings soi - Winess - Christians Iraqi refugees in Beirut.

Here you can see the streaming: Al-Jazeera-witness-Inglese-iraq-lebanon

The narrative voice is that of General Michel Kasdano (in the frame at right), himself of origin Iraq is a descendant of those fugitives that during the first years of the 900 have found shelter in Lebanon. Founded in collaboration with the Chaldean Eparchy of Beirut office of information that is the source of the conference we mentioned earlier.

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Un vecchio vizio islamico: rapimenti a scopo d'estorsione, di preferenza contro cristiani

A southwestern view of Kirkuk, Iraq, from atop a minaret in the ancient citadel. The two blue domes house the tombs of ancient Jewish prophets. By courtesy of Sam Dagher

Kirkuk (Iraq), an armed kidnap a Christian teacher

Kidnapping is the purpose extortion. To secure his release spoke Mgr. Louis Sako, who has sought cooperation from the Muslim leaders. The bandits made the request a sum of "very high" that the family - poor - is unable to pay.

Kirkuk (AsiaNews ) - This morning (Thursday, May 14 ) at ten o'clock local time, an armed group broke into an elementary school in Kirkuk and has taken a young Christian teacher. Namir Nadhim Gourguis is 32 years old, not married and "belongs to a family simple and poor" as AsiaNews sources said in Iraq.

La banda, composta da quattro persone, è entrata nella scuola elementare nel villaggio di Ruwaidha – nel sottodistretto di Al Rashad, a circa 30 km da Kirkuk – sequestrando il giovane insegnante. I rapitori hanno già fatto pervenire una richiesta di riscatto: “Una cifra molto elevata – sottolinea una fonte locale – che la famiglia non è in grado di pagare”.

Per salvare la vita al giovane è intervenuto anche mons. Louis Sako, arcivescovo caldeo di Kirkuk, che ha contattato gli sceicchi e gli imam della zona per ottenere la liberazione dell’ostaggio. Il prelato auspica che “i tentativi di mediazione possano portare al suo rilascio”.

In recent weeks the Christian community in Kirkuk over again targeted by armed gangs and organized crime, which operates kidnappings for ransom. In recent days, a young man was murdered outside his home, three people - two women and one man - were killed with a firearm. The criminals also see in Christians an easy target to hit them: in fact, unlike the Arabs and Kurds, are not protected by the community, relatives and law enforcement.