Turkmen bloc urges gov’t to protect Kirkuk’s Christians

BAGHDAD / IraqiNews.com: The Iraqi Turkmen Bloc on Monday called on security authorities to provide adequate protection for Christians in Kirkuk province. “The bloc condemns the attacks that targeted Christian families in Kirkuk…,” according to a statement released by the bloc and received by IraqiNews.com news agency. The bloc has urged local authorities in the province to “provide adequate protection for Christians and to catch the perpetrators of these crimes that aim to undermine Iraqi unity and to sow sedition,” according to the statement. On Sunday (April 26), one Christian civilian was killed and two others were wounded in an attack on their house in southwestern Kirkuk. Kirkuk, an oil-rich and mixed city of Kurds, Turkmen, Christians and Arabs, lies 250 km northeast of Baghdad. SS (P) 1