With wooden crosses around their necks
and others tattooed on their arms several
dozen Iraqi Christrians are training to
recapture their homes over-run by the
Islamic jihadists group,
A year ago IS launched a fierce offensive
in northern Iraq ,quickly capturing second
city Mosul,with its large Christian minority
and Christian populated areas in the surrounding
Nineveh province,
Residents were given the choice of converting
to Islam ,paying a tax to continue practicing
their faith ,or death
Thousand fled ,but some want to fight back
and are now training at a military base near
the Bagdad airport,
They have Shiite Muslim fighters instructing
them how to use their Kaashnikov assault
rifles and on the basics of combat manoeuvres
,but they are vocal in their Christianity on
parade,chating Ya Mariam ( O MARY) in cadence
as they march a salute to the mother of Jesus
"We heard that the Christians had an oppertunity
for jihad ( holy war) and we all came and voluteered
"said 17 years old Chaldean Christian Frank Samir,
"Our children are dying,our Christian families
were displaced ,How do we ourselves accept
that people say the Christian are not fighting
? On the contrary ,we want to fight everwhere,
he said .,
Samir is from Baghad ,but most of the Christian
in theKetaeb Babylon "unit are from Mosul
The IS assault was the latest in long series of
disasters for Iraqi Christians ,who have repeatedly"
been attacked by jihadists since the 2003
overthrow of dictator Saddam Hussein ,pushing
hundreds of thousands to flee aboard,
"I didn't hesitate to volunteer with my brothers
to fight Daesh said Fares Issa,38 using an Arabic
acronym for IS,I will continue fighting (them)
until the liberation of Mosul and their expulsion
from all the areas of Iraq,said Issa,Who sold cars
in Mosul before the conflict began,
Both Christian and Muslim religious symbols
are displayed at the training area, These include
a large cross affixed to a concrete blast wall
and banners reading "God is greatest " and
"There is no God"the first part of the Muslim
testtament of faith.,
The training courses of which this is the ninth,
last only two weeks,AFP
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