(16 Apr 2017) Former residents of the Iraqi Christian town of Qaraqosh celebrated Easter mass at the Church of St Johanna on Sunday.
Qaraqosh was abandoned by its residents in 2014 when the Islamic State group militant took Mosul and its surrounding areas.
The militants ransacked the town and damaged many of its churches. It also sustained heavy damage in October 2014 when it was retaken by Iraqi security forces.
Most of its former residents are still living in camps throughout northern Iraq or have emigrated altogether.
Christians once constituted a significant minority in Iraq but in recent years their numbers have dwindled as they have fled violence and instability, mainly to the West.
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