Iraqi Christians cancel Christmas celebrations

"The leaders of the Christian sects in Iraq have met two weeks ago and decided to cancel celebrations of the Christmas, except for prayers to God asking for peace and stability to prevail all over Iraq," Archbishop Louis Sako, chairman of the Chaldean archbishops in Kirkuk said.

He also said that his church will not hold prayers of the Christmas at the night of the event, but it would be during the daylight of next day on Dec. 25 for security reasons.

Sako urged the Christian worshippers to refrain from decorating their homes not to attract the gunmen.

The Christian minority have suffered from the murder of hundreds of its members due to chaos and insecurity that engulfed Iraq after the U.S.-led invasion in 2003.

The attacks against Iraqi Christians intensified after a hostage-taking attack by Islamic gunmen against Christian worshippers at a Baghdad church that killed 58 people and wounded some 75 others.

A day after the deadly attack, an al-Qaida affiliated militant group in Iraq claimed responsibility for the attack, saying that Christians and their organizations have become "legitimate targets " for al-Qaida militants.

The self-styled Islamic State of Iraq (ISI), the al-Qaida front in Iraq, said in a statement posted on an Islamic website that it "declares all Christian centers, organizations and institutions, leaders and followers, are legitimate targets of Mujahdeen (holy Muslim warriors) wherever they can reach them."

Most of the around one million Iraqi Christian minority live in areas from Baghdad to the northern cities of the country, including Kirkuk and Mosul. Kazinform cites Xinhua. See www.xinhuanet.com for full version.