Mosul (AINA) -- According to Voice of Iraq, an Assyrian man was killed in a drive by shooting on Thursday, December 17, in Mosul Iraq. Zaid Majid Yusuf, 30, was walking to his home after parking his car when he was shot from a car that drove in front of his house. The gunman got out of the car to make sure that Zaid was dead.

This attacked was the latest in a string of violence against Assyrians (also known as Chaldeans and Syriacs) in Mosul. On Tuesday, December 15, two churches were bombed, killing 5 people and wounding 40 (AINA 12-15-2009).

Since the first church bombing on June 24, 2004, violence against Iraq's Christian Assyrians has continued unabated. 61 churches have been bombed, hundreds of Assyrians kidnapped and killed, including 5 priests, hundreds of Assyrian businesses have been firebombed (full report). It is estimated that up to 50% of Assyrians have fled the country to Syria and Jordan. Of the 750,000 Iraqi refugees in Jordan up to 150,000 are Assyrians. Of the 1.2 million Iraqi refugees in Syria, 70,000 to 500,000 are Assyrians.