Authorities were under pressure Wednesday, September 24, to investigate the death of at least four Christians in the Iraqi town of Mosul, amid signs of a fresh wave of anti-Christian violence in Iraq.

Some 1,000 police began deploying in Christian areas of Iraq's northern city of Mosul Monday, October 13, after thousands of Christians fled the worst violence against them in five years, BosNewsLife learned.

A Christian music store owner was shot and killed in Mosul, Iraqi police said Monday, October 13, the latest in a series of killings that has caused thousands of Christians to flee the northern city in recent days, BosNewsLife monitored.

An Iraqi official says the number of Christian families fleeing violence in the northern city of Mosul since last week has reached 1,390 -- or more than 8,300 people.

The United States military said Wednesday, October 15, it had killed a key leader of the 'Al Qaeda in Iraq' terrorist network in the main northern Iraqi city of Mosul where suspected armed militants linked to the group have been roaming the streets and reportedly killed up to 40 Christians in recent days.