Around 1,1000 Christian Iraqi families have abandoned Baghdad for refuge in the north of the country where Kurds are the dominant group.

Baghdad, 21 Dec.

(AKI) - Around 1,1000 Christian Iraqi families have abandoned Baghdad for refuge in the north of the country where Kurds are the dominant group, according to Iraqi Christian website Ankawa, citing a government official.

"At the moment there are 1,100 Christian families that have found refuge in the north following the October attack" on a Christian church in Baghdad, secretary-general of Iraq's council of ministers, Ali Mohsen Ismail al-Allaq. "Unfortunately this is in the interest of the Islamic terrorists."

Separately, human rights group Amnesty International on Monday called on Iraq's government to step up protection of Christians, after 44 worshippers were killed on 31 October in an attack on a Baghdad church.

Amnesty "called on the Iraqi government to do more to protect the country's Christian minority from an expected spike in violent attacks as they prepare to celebrate Christmas," the rights group said in a statement.

"Attacks on Christians and their churches by armed groups have intensified in past weeks and have clearly included war crimes" Malcolm Smart, Amnesty's director for the Middle East and north Africa, said in the statement.

A branch of Al-Qaeda claimed responsibility for the October attack and said Christians are "legitimate targets."

Iraqi defence ministry spokesman Major General Mohammed al-Askari on Monday said the army's special forces troops killed three Libyans who were planning suicide attacks against Christians in the northern city of Mosul.