Mosul, Iraq (AINA) -- In a statement by Bishop Mar Polous Faraj Rahho, the Chaldean Catholic Bishop in Mosul, to www.ankawa.com, three churches were attacked in Mosul on Monday, December 20, 2004. At 2:30 p.m. local time, the bishopcrate of Mar (St.) Afram of the Syriac Orthodox in Hay al-Shurta (police quarters) was shelled. The bomb hit the main door of the church hall. Meanwhile, the Church of al-Bashara Syriac Catholic in Hay al-Muhandiseen (engineers quarters) and the Chaldean bishopcrate of al-Tahira (attacked earlier) were attacked as well using detonators and shells.

Furthermore, according to www.ankawa.com, on December 20, 2004, an unidentified group in Mosul kidnapped Michael Daddeza, a teacher (50 years old, married with children), from the Assyrian town of Baghdeda, as he was returning from the elementary school of Hawsalan village where he taught. Michael was with his friend who was also kidnapped.

Earlier on Sunday, December 19, 2004, two more Christians, Ghassan Michael Kacho (married with four children) and Ammar Habib Jallo (married with two children), of Baghdeda, were kidnapped while they were cultivating at Qeeraj.

Additionally, a Christian student Reem Khalid, and her friend whose name has not been disclosed, were injured in gun battle between the Iraqi national guards and militants at the college of Engineering (Irrigation and Tapping Department) and College of Science (Geology Department) at Mosul University.