11/11/2018 Iraq (International Christian Concern) –  A car bomb exploded Thursday near a Mosul restaurant reportedly frequented by security personnel. According to some media reports, this is the first time that a car bomb has exploded in Mosul following the city’s liberation from ISIS last summer. Other media reports say that this was the second such attack within the space of a week.

Mosul was the headquarters of ISIS in Iraq for three years and many militants remain in West Mosul even after the city was liberated. Even though many Christians will not ever consider returning to their homes in Mosul, the fate of nearby Christian villages is distinctly tied into the fate of Mosul. The city was the administrative center for the Nineveh Plains, and many of the surrounding villages are economically tied to the city.

Any security related incident in Mosul is viewed by many locals as an indicator of the broader security challenges which could affect the rest of the Nineveh Plains. While Christians have returned to some of the villages surrounding Mosul, they watch the city closely. Many are fearful of ISIS’s potential return—or the creation of a new group worse than ISIS.

For interviews with Claire Evans, ICC’s Regional Manager, please contact Olivia Miller, Communications Coordinator: [email protected].