The Christians of Mosul, who were already targeted during the Iraq War, left the city en masse heading to Assyrian villages in Nineveh Plains and Iraqi Kurdistan.
Christians and religious minorities in general were badly affected by the rise of Islamic fundamentalism after the invasion of Iraq.
[2] On 13 March 2008, the body of the Chaldean Archbishop of the city, Paulos Faraj Rahho, was found buried in a shallow grave near Mosul.
[11] Younadem Kana, a member of Iraq’s parliament and head of the Assyrian Democratic Movement, said media reports, including the London-based Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper, "published lies under my name" accusing the Kurds of allowing violence to displace more Mosul Christians.
"[12] Accusations against Kurdish groups were also made by al-Hadba Arab political bloc of Mosul, which is led by Osama Al Naijafi and his brother, Atheel, the current governor of Nineveh.