Iraqi forces storm church to end standoff; 37 killed

Sunday, Iraqi security forces stormed a Catholic church where a gunman suspected to have ties to al Qaeda were holding worshippers hostage. A total of thirty seven people were killed in the attack, including both hostages, kidnappers, and security officials. At least seven of the victims were hostages and another fifty seven were wounded. Eight suspects total were arrested. The Islamic state of Iraq later claimed responsibility for the attack through a statement posted on a radical Islamic website. The U.S. military spokesperson said that at one point 120 people were being held hostage. Two guards were killed and four others were wounded in the earlier attack on the stock market. The attackers also remotely detonated two car bombs outside the stock exchange.

-Courtney Ecton