ISIS destroys oldest Christian monastery in northern Iraq

(IraqiNews.com) Erbil – On Wednesday, ISIS destroyed the oldest Christian monastery in Mosul City in northern Iraq, while witnesses said that the monastery turned into a pile of rubble.

Satellite photos obtained by the Associated Press revealed that ‘St. Elijah’ monastery was completely destroyed. This archaeological site withstood in front of all the natural and human factors for 1400 years till the ISIS organization destroyed it.

From his office in Erbil, Catholic priest Paul Thabit Habib said, “Our Christian history in Mosul is being barbarically levelled,” adding that, “We see it as an attempt to expel us from Iraq, eliminating and finishing our existence in this land.”

Noteworthy, ISIS has launched a relentless campaign against Christians in Mosul and its outskirts, while the Christians were obliged either to convert to Islam, pay a tribute or leave the country which forced thousands of families to leave to Kurdistan, Kirkuk, Baghdad and other countries outside of Iraq.