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Hans India
23-06-2025
- Politics
- Hans India
Death toll in Damascus church suicide bombing climbs to 22
A suicide bombing at a Damascus church killed at least 22 people and wounded 63 others, marking the deadliest and first attack of its kind on a Christian place of worship in the Syrian capital in several years, officials said. According to Syrian authorities, two attackers stormed Mar Elias (St. Elias) Orthodox Church in the predominantly Christian Dweilaa neighbourhood during Sunday evening Mass, opened fire on worshippers, and detonated explosive belts near the entrance. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights confirmed the death toll and reported that women and children were among the victims. "This was a condemned terrorist act. We first heard gunfire in the courtyard, then two men entered, fired on the congregation, and blew themselves up. Such a crime violates every religion and every shred of humanity," said parish priest Melatios Shtah. "They were yelling sectarian slogans while shooting. Then everything went dark after the explosion," Worshipper Lawrence Maamari told Xinhua news agency about the panic inside the church. Authorities sealed off the area and urged residents to keep roads clear for emergency vehicles while hospitals issued urgent calls for blood donations. The observatory called the bombing a "dangerous escalation," noting that previous attacks on Christian sites in Syria during the civil war were largely acts of looting or sabotage, especially in areas once controlled by the Islamic State (IS). This assault marks a shift in tactics aimed at destabilising civil peace and inflaming sectarian tensions, it added. Interior officials said early evidence points to Islamic State sleeper cells, although no group has claimed responsibility. Political analyst Mohammad Nader Al-Omari said the attack may have been timed to exploit regional instability following a recent US strike on Iran. Information chief Hamzah al-Mustafa condemned the bombing as a "cowardly act meant to undermine national cohesion" and pledged that those responsible would be brought to justice. Damascus has been largely free of major attacks since government forces reclaimed surrounding areas in 2018. Sunday's bombing shattered that calm and renewed concerns over the resurgence of IS in southern and eastern Syria. "The state will not allow criminals to destabilise society," Mazhar al-Wais, the country's justice affairs chief, said on X, vowing swift and fair trials for those behind the attack.
NDTV
23-06-2025
- Politics
- NDTV
Blood Splash On Walls Of Damascus Church After Suicide Bomber Kills 20
At the blood-stained Saint Elias church in Damascus, Umm George wept as she desperately searched for her son, who was among the worshippers when a suicide bomber struck on Sunday. In vain, she tried to convince Syrian security forces, who had cordoned off the area, to let her into the church, whose windows had been blown out and whose interior was covered with debris and damaged pews. "My son was praying in the church," she told AFP. "I tried to contact him but his mobile phone is off the air and I haven't been able to find him." "I'm afraid I won't hear his voice again," she said, breaking down. Panicked family members rushed to the church in the working-class Dwelaa district of the Syrian capital searching for loved ones after news of the blast spread. The interior ministry said "a suicide attacker affiliated with the Daesh (IS) terrorist group" entered the church, "opened fire then blew himself up with an explosive belt" in an unprecedented attack inside a Syrian church since war erupted more than 14 years ago. Authorities said more than 20 people were killed and dozens wounded. AFP correspondents saw blood and human remains inside the devastated church, whose panels holding religious icons were scattered on the ground and its central chandelier shattered. The blast sparked panic in the church, which had been full of worshippers including children and the elderly, an eyewitness said. 'Extremely afraid' Lawrence Maamari, who was among those inside, said that "someone entered from outside carrying a weapon" and began shooting, adding that people "tried to stop him before he blew himself up". Maamari said he helped move around 10 casualties from the scene, as local residents tried to help the wounded before ambulances and other emergency vehicles arrived. Other worshippers were shocked, unable to comprehend what had happened, their faces filled with grief. The force of the blast sent glass flying towards a shop opposite, where Ziad Helou, 40, said he heard gunfire then an explosion, and threw himself to the ground in fear. "We saw fire in the church and the remains of wooden benches thrown all the way to the entrance," he said. Several churches were damaged during Syria's war, which erupted in 2011, or attacks were carried out in their vicinity, but none were directly hit by such an attack. The government of now-ousted ruler Bashar al-Assad long portrayed itself as a protector of minorities, who were targeted by numerous attacks during the conflict, many claimed by jihadist groups including IS. The attack is also the first of its kind since the new authorities took over after Assad's December ouster, while the international community has repeatedly called for minorities to be protected. "We were extremely afraid," said Helou. "I remember the explosions during the war," he added.
Saudi Gazette
23-06-2025
- Politics
- Saudi Gazette
Suicide bombing at Damascus church kills 22
DAMASCUS — At least 22 people have been killed and 63 others wounded in a suicide bomb attack at a church in Damascus, Syria's health ministry has said. A man opened fire with a weapon at the Greek Orthodox Church of the Prophet Elias in the Dweila neighborhood during a service on Sunday evening before detonating an explosive vest, according to the interior ministry. It said the attacker was affiliated with the jihadist group Islamic State (IS). There was no immediate claim from the group itself. Photos and video from inside the church showed a heavily damaged altar, pews covered in broken glass and blood spattered across the walls. Witness Lawrence Maamari told AFP news agency that "someone entered [the church] from outside carrying a weapon" and began shooting. People "tried to stop him before he blew himself up", he added. Another man who was in a nearby shop said he heard gunfire followed by an explosion that sent glass flying. "We saw fire in the church and the remains of wooden benches thrown all the way to the entrance," Ziad said. It was the first such attack in Damascus since Islamist-led rebel forces overthrew Bashar al-Assad in December, ending 13 years of devastating civil war. The Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch said in a statement: "The treacherous hand of evil struck this evening, claiming our lives, along with the lives of our loved ones who fell today as martyrs during the evening divine liturgy." According to initial information, the bomb blast occurred at the entrance to the church, resulting in the deaths of people who were both inside the building and in the immediate vicinity, it added. The patriarchate called upon Syria's interim authorities to "assume full responsibility for what has happened and continues to happen in terms of violation against the sanctity of churches, and to ensure the protection of all citizens". Interior Minister Anas Khattab said specialised teams from his ministry had begun investigating the circumstances of what he called a "reprehensible crime". "These terrorist acts will not stop the efforts of the Syrian state in achieving civil peace," he added. The office of UN special envoy for Syria, Geir Pedersen, condemned the attack and urged Syrians "to unite in rejecting terrorism, extremism, incitement and the targeting of any community". US special envoy Tom Barrack said: "These terrible acts of cowardice have no place in the new tapestry of integrated tolerance and inclusion that Syrians are weaving." Interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa - whose Sunni Islamist group, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), is a former al-Qaeda affiliate in Syria and is designated as a terrorist organisation by the UN, US and UK - has repeatedly promised to protect religious and ethnic minorities. However, Syria has been rocked by two waves of deadly sectarian violence in recent months. IS has frequently targeted Christians and other religious minorities in Syria. In 2016, the group claimed a series of blasts near the Shia Muslim Sayyida Zeinab shrine in a southern suburb of Damascus, which killed more than 70 people. IS once held 88,000 sq km (34,000 sq miles) of territory stretching from western Syria to eastern Iraq and imposed its brutal rule on almost eight million people. Despite the group's military defeat in Syria in 2019, the UN has warned that the threat posed by IS and its affiliates remains high. A report published in February warned that the group might take advantage of the transition in Syria to surge attacks and make the country a renewed hub for recruiting foreign fighters. It estimated that IS had between 1,500 and 3,000 fighters in Syria and neighbouring Iraq, with most of them, including key leaders, based in Syrian territory. About 300 fighters were based in the central Badia desert, which served as a centre for planning external operations, it said. More than 9,000 IS fighters are being detained prisons spread across north-eastern Syria and 40,000 other people linked to IS, mostly women and children, are held in several camps. — BBC
The Sun
23-06-2025
- Politics
- The Sun
Suicide attack on Damascus church kills at least 22
DAMASCUS: A shooting and suicide bombing at a Damascus church during a packed service on Sunday killed at least 22 people, authorities said, blaming a member of the Islamic State group for the unprecedented attack. The international community condemned the attack, the first of its kind in the Syrian capital since Islamist-led forces toppled longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad in December. It was also the first inside a church in Syria since the country's civil war erupted in 2011, according to a monitor. Security remains one of the greatest challenges for Syria's new authorities, with the international community repeatedly urging them to protect minorities. AFP correspondents saw first responders transporting people from the Orthodox church as security forces cordoned off the area. The church itself was strewn with wood from fittings and pews, with fallen icons and pools of blood on the floor. '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,' an interior ministry statement said. State news agency SANA, citing the ministry of health, reported a death toll of 22, with 63 injured. Lawrence Maamari who was inside the church when the attack happened told AFP a man had entered and begun shooting. People 'tried to stop him before he blew himself up', he added. Ziad Helou, 40, who was at a shop nearby, said he heard gunfire then an explosion, and saw glass flying. 'We saw fire in the church and the remains of wooden benches thrown all the way to the entrance,' he said. 'Heinous crime' The blast sparked panic and fear in the church, which had been full of worshippers, including children and the elderly, eyewitnesses said. Families were still searching desperately for missing loved ones. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said it was the first suicide attack inside a church in Syria since war erupted in 2011. Other churches had been damaged or seen attacks in their vicinity during the conflict, but none had been so directly targeted. The Orthodox patriarchate in Damascus called 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'. Syria's Christian community has shrunk from around one million before the war to under 300,000 due to waves of displacement and emigration. The United Nations special envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen expressed 'outrage at this heinous crime', calling for a full investigation. US special envoy Tom Barrack said Washington supported Syria 'as it fights against those who are seeking to create instability and fear in their country and the broader region'. Turkey, which is close to the new authorities, expressed confidence that Syrians would stay united in 'their fight against terrorist organisations that seek to sow chaos in the country'. France's foreign ministry restated its commitment to 'a transition in Syria that allows Syrians, whatever their religion, to live in peace and security in a free, united, pluralistic, prosperous, stable and sovereign' country. Egypt's Al-Azhar, Sunni Islam's prestigious seat of learning, called it a 'blatant assault on the right to life' and worship. Investigation Syria's foreign ministry described the attack as 'a desperate attempt to undermine national coexistence and to destabilise the country'. Assad had portrayed himself as a protector of minorities, who during Syria's nearly 14-year civil war were targeted by numerous attacks -- many of them claimed by jihadist groups including IS. Since the new authorities took power, the international community has urged the government to protect minorities and ensure their participation in Syria's transition, particularly after sectarian violence in recent months. Interior Minister Anas Khattab said that specialised teams had begun investigating. 'These terrorist acts will not stop the efforts of the Syrian state in achieving civil peace,' Khattab said according to a statement. In an interview earlier this month, Khattab said that IS had shifted 'to studied attacks on strategic targets' and had attempted 'to carry out attacks against the Christian and Shiite community' that the authorities had thwarted. Last month, IS claimed its first attack on Syria's new government forces. Authorities said they had arrested members of an IS cell near Damascus, accusing them of preparing attacks. IS seized large swathes of Syrian and Iraqi territory in the early years of the civil war, declaring a cross-border 'caliphate' in 2014 before being territorially defeated in 2019.
Korea Herald
23-06-2025
- Politics
- Korea Herald
Suicide attack on Damascus church kills at least 22
DAMASCUS, Syria (AFP) — A shooting and suicide bombing at a Damascus church during a packed service on Sunday killed at least 22 people, authorities said, blaming a member of the Islamic State group for the unprecedented attack. The international community condemned the attack, the first of its kind in the Syrian capital since Islamist-led forces toppled longtime ruler Bashar Assad in December. It was also the first inside a church in Syria since the country's civil war erupted in 2011, according to a monitor. Security remains one of the greatest challenges for Syria's new authorities, with the international community repeatedly urging them to protect minorities. Agence France-Presse correspondents saw first responders transporting people from the Orthodox church as security forces cordoned off the area. The church itself was strewn with wood from fittings and pews, with fallen icons and pools of blood on the floor. "A suicide attacker affiliated with the Daesh terrorist group entered the Saint Elias church in the Dwelaa area ... opened fire then blew himself up with an explosive belt," an Interior Ministry statement said. State news agency SANA, citing the Ministry of Health, reported a death toll of 22, with 63 injured. Lawrence Maamari, who was inside the church when the attack happened, told Agence France-Presse a man had entered and begun shooting. People "tried to stop him before he blew himself up," he added. Ziad Helou, 40, who was at a shop nearby, said he heard gunfire then an explosion, and saw glass flying. "We saw fire in the church and the remains of wooden benches thrown all the way to the entrance," he said. The blast sparked panic and fear in the church, which had been full of worshippers, including children and the elderly, eyewitnesses said. Families were still searching desperately for missing loved ones. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said it was the first suicide attack inside a church in Syria since war erupted in 2011. Other churches had been damaged or seen attacks in their vicinity during the conflict, but none had been so directly targeted. The Orthodox patriarchate in Damascus called 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." Syria's Christian community has shrunk from around 1 million before the war to under 300,000 due to waves of displacement and emigration. The United Nations special envoy for Syria, Geir Pedersen, expressed "outrage at this heinous crime," calling for a full investigation. US special envoy Tom Barrack said Washington supported Syria "as it fights against those who are seeking to create instability and fear in their country and the broader region." Turkey, which is close to the new authorities, expressed confidence that Syrians would stay united in "their fight against terrorist organisations that seek to sow chaos in the country." France's Foreign Ministry restated its commitment to "a transition in Syria that allows Syrians, whatever their religion, to live in peace and security in a free, united, pluralistic, prosperous, stable and sovereign" country. Egypt's Al-Azhar, Sunni Islam's prestigious seat of learning, called it a "blatant assault on the right to life" and worship. Syria's Foreign Ministry described the attack as "a desperate attempt to undermine national coexistence and to destabilise the country." Assad had portrayed himself as a protector of minorities, who during Syria's nearly 14-year civil war were targeted by numerous attacks — many of them claimed by jihadi groups including IS. Since the new authorities took power, the international community has urged the government to protect minorities and ensure their participation in Syria's transition, particularly after sectarian violence in recent months. Interior Minister Anas Khattab said that specialized teams had begun investigating. "These terrorist acts will not stop the efforts of the Syrian state in achieving civil peace," Khattab said, according to a statement. In an interview earlier this month, Khattab said that IS had shifted "to studied attacks on strategic targets" and had attempted "to carry out attacks against the Christian and Shiite community" that the authorities had thwarted. Last month, IS claimed its first attack on Syria's new government forces. Authorities said they had arrested members of an IS cell near Damascus, accusing them of preparing attacks. IS seized large swathes of Syrian and Iraqi territory in the early years of the civil war, declaring a cross-border "caliphate" in 2014 before being territorially defeated in 2019.
