Iraqi Christians hold Easter services

BAGHDAD – Iraq’s embattled Christians took advantage of improved security and gathered Sunday to celebrate Easter, even as roadside bombings killed a U.S. soldier and wounded four other Americans in separate attacks north of Baghdad.

Tens of thousands of Christians have fled Iraq since the 2003 collapse of Saddam Hussein’s regime and the rise of Islamic extremists such as al-Qaida in Iraq. Those who remain live in fear of kidnapping and assassination.

But with better security in Baghdad and many other cities, Christians turned out for Easter services Sunday.

“God protect us and rid our country of disputes and quarrels, let it be free of hatred and hostilities,” Cardinal Emmanuel II Delly said during services in Baghdad’s Mansour district, which were broadcast on state television.

About 500 Christians attended services at the Virgin Mary Church in the southern city of Basra, where Shiite militiamen ruled the streets until an Iraqi government offensive last year.

It was believed to be the largest attendance at the Basra church since 2003.

In the northern city of Mosul, where Sunni insurgents remain active, most Christians avoided public places such as parks and restaurants, preferring to celebrate the holiday at home.

American troops also attended sunrise services at U.S. bases across the country. About 100 soldiers sang hymns and listened to a military band at services at Camp Liberty on the western edge of Baghdad.

Despite the improvement in security, attacks continue.

An American soldier was fatally injured Sunday in a roadside bombing in Salahuddin province north of Baghdad, the U.S. military said.

Also Sunday, a U.S. Army Stryker vehicle was hit by a roadside bomb near Taji, about 12 miles north of Baghdad, wounding four U.S. soldiers, the U.S. military said.

Nine Iraqis, including two women and a teenage boy, were wounded in a roadside bombing about 10 miles south of Baghdad, police said.