As Iraq’s Nineveh Plains marks the 10th anniversary of the invasion by the so-called Islamic State (ISIS), the Christian community continues to live with the trauma of the tragic event.
Yet despite the efforts of the Islamist group to eradicate the Christian population, they are slowly rebuilding their presence in the area.
“Words cannot describe what we experienced ten years ago. ISIS tried to eradicate us, but they failed”, said Syriac Catholic Archbishop Nizar Semaan of Adiabene in Northern Iraq.
“The people here are like olive trees. You can cut them, burn them, but after 10 or 20 years, they will continue to give fruit. They tried everything, but we remain, and as a Church we do everything to give a sign of hope,” he said during an online conference organised by the international Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN).
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