In Iraq, at least 52 people are now known to have died during an operation to free Christian worshipers held hostages at gun point inside a Catholic church in Baghdad. At least six militants were killed and more than 50 people wounded as Iraqi security forces stormed the church. Iraqi Defence Minister described the operation as a success. But a Christian member of Iraqi Parliament is critical of the security forces.The incident began when militants wearing suicide vests and armed with grenades attacked the Iraqi stock exchange last evening and then attacked nearby Our Lady of Deliverance church taking about 120 hostages. Gunmen were demanding the release of detainees held in Iraq and Egypt. 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.