Suicide Bomber Kills 22 At Damascus Church

A horrific attack involving a shooting and suicide bombing at a packed church service in Damascus on Sunday has left at least 22 people dead, according to authorities. Officials have attributed the unprecedented assault to a member of the Islamic State (IS) group.

This incident marks the first attack of its kind in the Syrian capital since Islamist-led forces overthrew longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad in December. It is also the first direct attack inside a church in Syria since the country’s civil war began in 2011, as confirmed by a monitoring group.

Ensuring security remains a significant challenge for Syria’s new government, with the international community repeatedly urging them to prioritize the protection of minority groups.

AFP correspondents at the scene observed first responders evacuating victims from the Orthodox church, while security forces established a cordon around the area. Inside, the church was in disarray, with shattered wooden fittings and pews, overturned icons, and pools of blood staining the floor.

An interior ministry statement detailed the attack:

“A suicide attacker affiliated with the Daesh (IS) terrorist group entered the Saint Elias church in the Dwelaa area… opened fire then blew himself up with an explosive belt.”

Lawrence Maamari, who was inside the church during the attack, told AFP that a man entered and began shooting, and people “tried to stop him before he blew himself up.” Ziad Helou, 40, who was at a nearby shop, recounted hearing gunfire followed by an explosion and seeing glass fragments flying. “We saw fire in the church and the remains of wooden benches thrown all the way to the entrance,” he said.

Eyewitnesses described widespread panic and fear within the church, which was filled with worshippers of all ages, including children and the elderly. Families are now desperately searching for missing loved ones.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights confirmed this was the first suicide attack directly inside a church in Syria since the war erupted in 2011. While other churches had sustained damage or faced attacks in their vicinity, none had been so directly targeted.

In response to the tragedy, the Orthodox patriarchate in Damascus issued a strong statement, calling on “the authorities to bear full responsibility for what has happened and is happening concerning the violation of the sanctity of churches, and to ensure the protection of all citizens.

-source- Citizen Digital