ANKAWA , Iraq, June 27 (UPI) -- The predominately Christian town of Qaraqosh, Iraq, was attacked by invading militants, forcing thousands of Iraqi Christians to become refugees -- an indication of the devastation the fighting has inflicted upon the native Christian population.
Although Kurdish forces, with help from Christian militias, kept the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria from overtaking the town Thursday, the majority of residents fled to Ankawa, a Christian town near the Kurdish capital of Erbil.