Bethnahrin Patriotic Union remembers 2010 Baghdad Church Massacre, calls for protected region in Nineveh Plains

BETH NAHRIN — On the 14th anniversary of the tragic attack on the Syriac Catholic Church of Our Lady of Salvation in Baghdad, the Bethnahrin Patriotic Union (Huyodo Bethnahrin Athroyo, HBA) issued a statement commemorating the massacre that took place on 31 October 2010. The brutal assault, carried out by extremists from the newly formed Islamic State of Iraq, claimed the lives of dozens of members of the Chaldean–Syriac–Assyrian Christian community.

The HBA’s statement emphasized the enduring trauma inflicted by this attack, which it described as a brutal example of the extremism and dark ideology held by the Islamic State (ISIS), Al-Qaeda, and other extremist organizations. The Union highlighted that violence against the Chaldean–Syriac–Assyrian people is not an isolated occurrence. It is part of a tragic legacy of violence, referencing historical massacres like the 1915 Sayfo Genocide, the Simele Massacre of 1933, the Soria Massacre of 1969, the Anfal Campaign of 1988, and the spread of ISIS in 2014.

In light of these continuing threats, the HBA reiterated its call for Nineveh Plains to be formally designated as a constitutionally protected zone within Iraq and the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI). According to the HBA, this measure is crucial for safeguarding the rights and future of the Chaldean–Syriac–Assyrian people within their homeland.

The Union also urged support for loyal leadership from within the community, arguing that previous pledges by both internal and external parties have failed to secure a stable future for the community. The statement emphasized the need to protect the community’s rights and heritage, free from the competing interests that have kept their fate uncertain.