In Iraq, at least 52 people including seven policemen have been killed as security forces stormed a Catholic church in Baghdad to free dozens of hostages. Deputy Interior Minister Maj Gen Hussein Kamal said six attackers were also died in the fighting and more than 50 people have been wounded. Meanwhile, Al-Qaida militant group in Iraq today claimed responsibility for a Baghdad church attack. A statement posted on a militant website allegedly run by the Islamic State of Iraq, a Sunni militant umbrella group to which al-Qaeda in Iraq belongs, claimed responsibility for the attack.The statement reportedly said Iraqi Christians would be exterminated if Muslim women in Egypt were not freed. It specifically mentioned two women in Egypt who radicals believe are being held against their will after converting to Islam.