Amnesty International Condemns Killing of Civilian Hostages in Iraq Church as ‘A War Crime’

(New York) -- Amnesty International today condemned Sunday's "shameless" attack on civilian hostages in a Catholic church in Baghdad, calling it "nothing less than a war crime." “We utterly condemn this shameless targeting of civilians by an armed group in a place of worship,” said Malcolm Smart, Amnesty International’s Director for the Middle East and North Africa. One hundred worshippers were taken hostage and more than 40 were then killed.The Islamic State of Iraq, an armed group linked to al-Qa’ida in Iraq, claimed responsibility for the attack in Baghdad’s Karrada district.