Four Christian charity workers abducted in Iraq released

The release of four Christian charity workers kidnapped in Iraq was confirmed on 26 March .

Three French nationals, Antoine Brochon, Julien Dittmar and Alexandre Goodarzy, and one Iraqi national, Tariq Mattoka, had been working with persecuted Christians in Iraq when they were abducted in Baghdad on 20 January.

Islamist militants frequently kidnap Christians in Iraq. In 1990 there were 1.5 million Christians in Iraq. Since the 1990-1991 Gulf War and the emergence of Islamic State in 2014, at least 1.1 million Christians have fled Iraq. Targeted kidnappings, murders and attacks on churches and Christian businesses has severely impacted on Christian communities.