Iraqi Christians Under Threat From AQ

BAGHDAD (AP) Dec 22 — Al-Qaida's front group in Iraq is threatening more attacks against the country's Christians unless two women it claims Egypt's Coptic Church is holding captive are released. The Islamic State of Iraq issued the warning in a message posted late Tuesday on a website frequented by Islamist extremists. The group has made similar threats in the past linked to claims of Egypt's Muslim extremists that the country's Coptic Church is holding women captive for converting to Islam. The church denies the allegations. The message was addressed to Iraq's Christian community to "pressure" Egypt. The Islamic State of Iraq was behind a recent attack which killed a number of Christians (picture).