At least 22 folks had been killed and 62 others injured Sunday when a Daesh terrorist opened hearth inside Mar Elias Church, east of Damascus, earlier than blowing himself up, the Syrian Health Ministry mentioned.
The Syrian Civil Defense mentioned ambulances had been transporting the injured from the scene and the Internal Security Forces have cordoned off the church space to make sure security.
The Commander of Internal Security in Damascus Governorate, Brig. Gen. Osama Khayr Atikah, inspected the bombing website as investigators launched an preliminary probe into the terrorist assault, the official news company SANA reported.
The assault on the church was the primary of its type in Syria in years and comes as Damascus’ new management is attempting to win the assist of minorities.
As the federal government, led by President Ahmad al-Sharaa, makes an attempt to exert full authority throughout the nation, there have been issues concerning the presence of sleeper cells of extremist teams within the war-torn nation.
Syrian Interior Ministry spokesman Noureddine al-Baba mentioned in a news convention that their preliminary investigation factors to the extremist Daesh group.
The ministry mentioned one gunman entered the church, fired on the folks there earlier than detonating himself with an explosive vest, echoing some witness testimonies.
“The security of places of worship is a red line,” he mentioned, including that Daesh and the remaining members of the ousted Assad authorities are attempting to destabilize Syria.
Syrian Information Minister Hamza Mostafa condemned the assault, calling it a terrorist assault.
“This cowardly act goes against the civic values that brings us together,” he mentioned on X. “We will not back down from our commitment to equal citizenship … and we also affirm the state’s pledge to exert all its efforts to combat criminal organizations and to protect society from all attacks threatening its safety.”
Witnesses mentioned the gunman, along with his face coated, entered and fired on the folks. When a crowd charged at him to take away him from the church, he detonated his explosives on the entrance.
Syria’s Social Affairs and Labor Minister Hind Kabawat, the nation’s Christian and feminine minister, met with the clergy on the church within the night to precise her condolences.
“People were praying safely under the eyes of God,” mentioned Father Fadi Ghattas, who mentioned he noticed at the least 20 folks killed along with his personal eyes. “There were 350 people praying at the church.”
However, Meletius Shahati, a church priest, mentioned there was a second gunman who shot on the church door earlier than the opposite particular person detonated himself.
Issam Nasr, who was praying on the church, mentioned he noticed folks “blown to bits.”
“We have never held a knife in our lives. All we ever carried were our prayers,” he mentioned.
Security forces and first responders rushed to the church. Panicked survivors wailed, as one girl fell to her knees and burst into tears. A photograph circulated by Syrian state media SANA confirmed the church’s pews coated in particles and blood.
Source: www.dailysabah.com