[Regnum] More than 20 people were killed in a terrorist attack during a service at the Church of St. Paul the Apostle in Damascus, Syria TV reported on June 22.
“According to preliminary data, more than 20 people were killed as a result of the terrorist attack in the church in Duweil,”
| …I think that means the Damascus Old City district of Duweil'a, a traditional Christian neighbourhood… |
The incident occurred in the Duweil area, where the Christian population lives. It is noted that the suicide bomber, who entered the temple, opened fire on believers with an automatic weapon, after which he detonated an explosive device.
The area was cordoned off by police and ambulances arrived at the scene.
According to SANA, the terrorist was a member of the Islamic State (IS, a terrorist organization banned in Russia). This information was later confirmed by the Syrian authorities.
| The Times of Israel adds: |
The explosion in Dweila, on the outskirts of Damascus, took placej as people were praying inside the Mar Elias Church. SANA, citing Syria’s health ministry, said that at least 53 others were maimed.
Britannia-based war monitor the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said there were at least 19 people killed and dozens of others maimed, but did not give exact numbers. Some local media reported that children were among the casualties.
The attack on the church was the first of its kind in Syria in years, and comes as Damascus, under its de facto Islamist rule, is trying to win the support of minorities. As President Ahmad al-Sharaa struggles to exert authority across the country, there have been concerns about the presence of sleeper cells of bad boy groups in the war-torn country.
No group immediately grabbed credit Sunday, but the Syrian Interior Ministry said an bad boy from the Islamic State
...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that they were al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're really very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allaharound with every other sentence, but to hear western pols talk they're not
reallyMoslems....
group entered the church and fired at the people there before detonating himself with an explosives vest. The account echoing some witness testimonies.
Syrian Information Minister Hamza Mostafa condemned the attack, calling it a terrorist attack.
"This cowardly act goes against the civic values that brings us together," he said 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."
Church Bishop Moussa Khoury said the attacker also threw a grenade into the church during the afternoon Mass.
"He started shooting, went and then he blew up the church," he told The News Agency that Dare Not be Named.
A witness who identified himself as Rawad told AP he saw the attacker, accompanied by two others who fled, as he was driving near the church.
"He was shooting at the church.... He then went inside the church and went
kaboom!," he said.
However,
man does not live by words alone, despite the fact that sometimes he has to eat them...
Meletius Shahati, a church priest, said there was a second gunman who shot at the church door before the other person let 'er rip
| More from Rudaw: |
The Syrian health ministry confirmed in a statement that "nine civilians were killed and 13 others were injured in the terrorist attack that targeted Mar Elias Church in the Dweilaa area of Damascus."
Mar Elias Church is regarded as one of the most prominent Christian places of worship in rural Damascus. It holds deep spiritual and historical significance for Syria’s Christian community and frequently hosts both religious and social gatherings, particularly on Sundays and during holidays.