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Agence France-Presse

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 Islamic State for the unprecedented attack.
The international community condemned the attack, the first of its kind in the Syrian capital since Islamist-led forces toppled long-time 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.

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 (Isis) 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, said a man entered and started 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 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.
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 Isis.
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 Isis 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, Isis claimed its first attack on Syria’s new government forces. Authorities said they had arrested members of an Isis cell near Damascus, accusing them of preparing attacks.
Isis 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.


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Syria

Suicide attack on Damascus church kills at least 22

Journalists and civil defence workers inspect the damage inside Mar Elias church where a suicide bomber detonated himself in Dweil’a, on the outskirts of Damascus, Syria on Sunday. Photo: SANA via AP

Inside the church after the bombing. Photo: AP

Blood stains on a religious painting inside the church. Photo: AP

Scenes outside the church after the attack. Photo: EPA-EFE

Syria decrees women must wear burkinis, ‘decent’ clothing at public beaches

A woman in a bikini sits at a pool in Freiburg, Germany. Syrian authorities unveiled new clothing rules on Tuesday. Photo: dpa

Syrian government, Kurdish officials visit notorious prison camp

Residents of the Kurdish-run al-Hol camp, which holds relatives of suspected Isis fighters. Photo: AFP

The Al-Amal Camp south of Mosul, Iraq, which houses Iraqi families who have been repatriated from Syria’s Al-Hol camp, on May 8. Photo: AFP

Israelis relieved by US bombardment of Iran, united behind war

A man on an e-scooter passes a giant billboard, featuring US President Donald Trump, in Tel Aviv, Israel, on Sunday. Photo: Reuters

Israelis take shelter in an underground car park under a mall in Tel Aviv, on Saturday. Photo: AFP

A protester holds a placard reading ‘Arrest Netanyahu’ during a pro-Palestine solidarity rally in Kuala Lumpur on Friday. Photo: dpa

Pakistan gets caught in Iran-Israel disinformation crossfire

Pakistani activists burn Israeli and US national flags during an anti-Israel protest in Islamabad on Tuesday. Photo: AFP

US President Donald Trump speaks as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu waves following a meeting at the White House in April. Photo: Reuters

Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar has debunked the faked footage circulating online. Photo: Reuters

Pakistani security officers stand guard at a checkpoint in Quetta, provincial capital of Balochistan province, Pakistan, in January following a wave of insurgent violence. Photo: EPA-EFE

US B-2 bombers moving to Guam amid Israel-Iran tensions

A US Air Force B-2 Spirit Stealth Bomber is flanked by four F-35 fighters during a flyover of military aircraft down the Hudson River and New York Harbour past York City, and New Jersey in July 2020. Photo: Reuters

News

World

Middle East

Islamic State blamed for attack, the first inside a Syrian church since civil war erupted in 2011


Islamic State blamed for attack, the first inside a Syrian church since civil war erupted in 2011.


Suicide attack on Damascus church kills at least 22

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Islamic State blamed for attack, the first inside a Syrian church since civil war erupted in 2011

Islamic State blamed for attack, the first inside a Syrian church since civil war erupted in 2011