Baghdad:
Iraqi officials said on Monday that 47 people died including a priest when Iraqi security forces stormed a Baghdad church on where militants had taken an entire congregation hostage the previous night.
It was not immediately clear whether the hostages died at the hands of the attackers or during the rescue late on Sunday night in an affluent neighbourhood of the capital.
The incident began when militants wearing suicide vests and armed with grenades attacked the Iraqi stock exchange at dusk Sunday before turning their attention to the nearby Our Lady of Deliverance church - one of Baghdad's main Catholic places of worship - taking about 120 Christians hostage.
Officials said at least one priest and 10 policemen were among the dead.
Many of the 62 wounded were women.
The casualty information came from police and officials at hospitals where the dead and wounded were taken.
They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to speak to the media.
There were conflicting accounts about the number of attackers involved in the assault, with Baghdad military spokesman Major General Qassim al-Moussawi saying on Sunday night that security forces killed eight, while the US military said between five and seven had died.
Two police officers on the scene, however, say only three attackers were killed and another seven arrested afterward.
Iraqi Defence Minister Abdul-Qadr al-Obeidi said the operation had been a success and that some suspects had been detained.
Survivors of the ordeal described how they feared for their lives as the militants stormed the building as many worshippers were praying.
"They were wearing explosives belts using hand grenades, machine guns. They shot the priest in his neck as he was addressing the mass. Another clergymen, Abu Wasim, was thrown to the ground and beaten. Most of hostages were seriously injured," said a rescued hostage.
Early on Monday, Cardinal Emmanuel III Delly, leader of the ancient Chaldean Church, accompanied by Christian lawmaker Unadem Kana visited the church to assess the damage caused by the attack.
Iraqi Christians, who have been frequent targets for Sunni insurgents, have left in droves since the 2003 U.S-led war.
Catholics used to represent 2.89 percent of the population in 1980; by 2008 they were just 0.89 percent.
A cryptically worded statement posted late Sunday on a militant website allegedly by the Islamic State of Iraq appeared to claim responsibility for the attack.
The group, which is linked to al-Qaida in Iraq, said it would "exterminate Iraqi Christians" if Muslim women in Iraq were not freed.
It also specifically mentioned two women in Egypt that extremists maintain have converted to Islam and are being held against their will in Egypt.
It was not immediately clear whether the hostages died at the hands of the attackers or during the rescue late on Sunday night in an affluent neighbourhood of the capital.
The incident began when militants wearing suicide vests and armed with grenades attacked the Iraqi stock exchange at dusk Sunday before turning their attention to the nearby Our Lady of Deliverance church - one of Baghdad's main Catholic places of worship - taking about 120 Christians hostage.
Officials said at least one priest and 10 policemen were among the dead.
Many of the 62 wounded were women.
The casualty information came from police and officials at hospitals where the dead and wounded were taken.
They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to speak to the media.
There were conflicting accounts about the number of attackers involved in the assault, with Baghdad military spokesman Major General Qassim al-Moussawi saying on Sunday night that security forces killed eight, while the US military said between five and seven had died.
Two police officers on the scene, however, say only three attackers were killed and another seven arrested afterward.
Iraqi Defence Minister Abdul-Qadr al-Obeidi said the operation had been a success and that some suspects had been detained.
Survivors of the ordeal described how they feared for their lives as the militants stormed the building as many worshippers were praying.
"They were wearing explosives belts using hand grenades, machine guns. They shot the priest in his neck as he was addressing the mass. Another clergymen, Abu Wasim, was thrown to the ground and beaten. Most of hostages were seriously injured," said a rescued hostage.
Early on Monday, Cardinal Emmanuel III Delly, leader of the ancient Chaldean Church, accompanied by Christian lawmaker Unadem Kana visited the church to assess the damage caused by the attack.
Iraqi Christians, who have been frequent targets for Sunni insurgents, have left in droves since the 2003 U.S-led war.
Catholics used to represent 2.89 percent of the population in 1980; by 2008 they were just 0.89 percent.
A cryptically worded statement posted late Sunday on a militant website allegedly by the Islamic State of Iraq appeared to claim responsibility for the attack.
The group, which is linked to al-Qaida in Iraq, said it would "exterminate Iraqi Christians" if Muslim women in Iraq were not freed.
It also specifically mentioned two women in Egypt that extremists maintain have converted to Islam and are being held against their will in Egypt.
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