The Church of Ireland Archbishop of Armagh, the Most Revd Dr Richard Clarke, has called on Christians to pray for the Christians of Mosul and northern Iraq who are being attacked and driven from their homes by radical Islamists.

In a statement, Dr Clarke said: “Recent reports of the forced expulsion, violence and intimidation against the Christian population in Mosul in northern Iraq by ISIS militants is deeply distressing. There are accounts that numbers of people have died and been threatened with death for their faith. At this time, we ask people here across our land who enjoy religious freedom and liberty to remember before God the suffering people of this ancient city where Christians and Muslims have lived together for many centuries.

“We remember those who are working selflessly for healing, peace and restoration between peoples in these most difficult of circumstances and pray that by God’s Holy Spirit light will replace the present darkness that many are experiencing.”

Christians have lived in Iraq for almost the entire history of Christianity. Their presence in the area predates Islam.

ISIS militants took over parts of Syria and northern Iraq recently and have instructed Christians to convert to Islam, pay a heavy religious tax and accept what amounts to second-class citizenship, or be killed.

The last remaining 3,000 Christians are reported to have fled the ancient city of Mosul with many going to the relatively safe Kurdish-run region of Iraq.

ISIS has been marking Christian homes and places with the Arabic letter ‘N’ (pictured) which stands for ‘Nasrani’ or Nazarene.