Baghdad, Iraq - Bombs exploded Sunday outside four Christian churches and the office of the Vatican envoy, killing 3 people and wounding at least 15, in a rare and seemingly coordinated set of attacks on Iraq's dwindling Christian community.
Two of the attacks were aimed at separate churches in Kirkuk, a northern city, Interior Ministry officials said. Two people were killed outside the Church of the Virgin, and another in a different church in the northern part of the city. No one was harmed in three other attacks in Baghdad, though a car bomb outside the Vatican's office damaged the building, the officials said.
In late 2004, at least a dozen Christians were killed and several sanctuaries were heavily damaged in church bombings, but since then few attacks have occurred that seemed to be aimed at Christians. Many Christians have fled Iraq since the fall of Saddam Hussein. Christians are believed to account for less than 3 percent of Iraq's current population.
In addition to the church bombings, other scattered violence occurred across Iraq. In Baquba, northeast of Baghdad, the police reported a string of attacks that left eight people dead. Four policemen were killed when a bomb detonated near their checkpoint in the Islahi district. A gun battle between Iraqi Army soldiers and insurgents in the Tahrir district left three soldiers dead. One civilian was killed when the police opened fire on a minibus near the main bus station in Baquba.