Iranian-Backed Militia Committing 'Ethnic Cleansing' of Iraqi Christians

Iranian-backed militias are forcing Christians out of Baghdad, seizing Christian churches, homes, and businesses, according to The Foreign Desk website.

The militants groups are driving Christians out of their neighborhoods and south of the city.

Assyrian, Chaldean, and Syriac Church leaders say it's ethnic cleansing. Christian leaders in Iraq's parliament and non-government organizations working in the country confirmed the atrocities.

In the north, ISIS has driven Christians out of their ancestral homes in Kirkuk, Mosul, and much of the Nineveh Plains.

Dr. Walid Phares is the co-secretary general of the Transatlantic Parliamentary Group on Counter Terrorism (TAG), a caucus of members of the U.S. Congress and the European Parliament.

What else should be done to protect Iraqi Christians from ethnic cleansing and genocide? Click play to watch Phares explain more.

Phares spoke to CBN's Wendy Griffith about he calls "genocide" being committed against Yazidis and Christians in the Middle East. He also discussed the recent report about the ethnic cleansing of Christians in Baghdad.

Phares said the United States is not doing enough to use the leverage it has to stop the persecution.

"The United States is basically a partner to the Iraqi government---we give them a lot of money, a lot of training, we give them information," he explained.

"We are actually their allies against ISIS, so the minimum that we can request from the Iraqi government, from the prime minister, from their armed forces is to stop these militias from undertaking this ethnic cleansing as we are there in Baghdad--our trainers are in Baghdad," he said.

Phares also believes more can be done to pressure the Iranians to prevent the Shia militias from harming the Christians of Baghdad.

He said the U.S. nuclear deal with Iran freed up $150 billion in frozen Iranian assets. Phares believes that money should be used as leverage to help the Christians.

"If I was the president, or his administration I will use that deal: 'you're not going to get more cash if you allow, or you're going to push your militias to do this in Baghdad,'" he said.

"We have a lot of leverage we are not using for the protection of the minorities unfortunately," Phares said.

In the picture above from CBN's Chuck Holton; the Free Burma Rangers gave a good life club inside the shattered city of Sinjar for the very few families who have returned. The family who hosted it are yazidi but they were happy to hear the message of joy and peace that Issa (Jesus) brings. Forty children showed up and learned to sing "deep and wide, deep and wide,Jesus love is deep and wide!" Afterwards the family served a feast, made more savory by the knowledge they live here without electricity or running water. The family returned here minus one son's new wife, who was taken away by Isis and is still being held.