Tens of thousands of Christians fled northern Iraqi towns in 2014 as the Islamic State group seized Mosul and swathes of the surrounding Nineveh province. But Iraqi forces expelled the militants from the city this year after months of battle, allowing Christians to return to pray at Saint Paul’s church. Muslims, as well as local and military officials, stood with Christian worshippers amid the candles and Christmas trees. Farqad Malko, a Christian woman in the congregation, said celebrating the mass on Christmas Eve was “important to relaunch Christian life” in the city. She is one of the few to have returned to the area after Iraqi forces defeated IS in the city in July.

Source: The Express Tribune December 24, 2017 10:30 UTC