Iraqi police today stormed a church which had been taken over by suspected al-Qaida-linked gunmen, releasing about 100 worshippers who had been taken hostage, Iraqi and US officials said.
"The operation has finished and we released all the hostages," Brigadier General Ali Ibrahim, the commander of the federal police in south-eastern Baghdad, said.
US military officials – who watched the rescue operation from helicopters above the scene – confirmed the report.
Gunmen attacked the Syrian Catholic church in central Baghdad, detonating three bombs before fighting battles with security forces and taking hostages in the building, a security official said.
Younadam Kana, a Christian MP, said parishioners who had called him from inside the church estimated that the gunmen had held some 100 people hostage.
SIC: TG/UK
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