BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraqi Christians quietly celebrated Christmas on Tuesday amid improved security, more than a year after the country declared victory over Islamic State militants who threatened to end their 2,000-year history in Iraq. But war and sectarian conflict shrank Iraq's Christian population from 1.5 million to about 400,000 after the U.S.-led invasion in 2003. Following the onslaught of Islamic State in 2014 and the brutal three-year war that followed their numbers have fallen further, though it is not known exactly by how much. In Baghdad, Christians celebrated mass on Tuesday morning -- declared a national holiday by government -- in churches decorated for Christmas. In addition, Daesh was beaten," he said, using the Arabic acronym for Islamic State.

Source: The Star December 25, 2018 11:48 UTC