(AINA) -- Congressman Ray Lahood sent the following letter to Madeleine Albright regarding the Assyrians of Iraq.

18th DISTRICT, ILLINOIS

The Honorable Madeleine Albright
Secretary of State
2201 C Street, NW
Washington, DC 20520

Dear Madam Secretary:

I am writing to express my concern over the persecution of the Assyrian Christians in Iraq by Iraqi government forces, as well as Kurdish groups. In addition, I am concerned about the levels of humanitarian relief aid available to the Assyrians.

Recently, there has been increased focus by some human rights organizations on the treatment of the Assyrians at the hands of the Kurds. In fact, many of the documented attacks have occurred inside the U.N. "Safe Haven" in Northern Iraq. These attacks on Assyrians is greatly troublesome and disturbing, especially since our country has actively tried to put a halt to this type of marauderous activity.

The plight of the Assyrians is made even more difficult by the fact that much of the humanitarian relief aid flowing into Iraq goes to Kurdish groups. Not only must Assyrians face the threat of attacks from Iraqi and Kurdish forces, but they must also struggle for daily survival because they receive little or no humanitarian aid.

The estimated one to two million Assyrians currently living Iraq, as well as their friends and relatives living here in the United States would be most grateful for your attention to these matters. I hope that you will be able to help address the Assyrian needs, and I look forward to hearing from you regarding this issue. Thank you for your attention to this matter.

Sincerely,