Posted on 06/22/2025 1:38:31 PM PDT by DFG
At least 20 worshippers have been killed and 52 injured in a suicide bomb attack at a Christian church in Syria.
The bomber opened fire as people were praying inside Mar Elias Church, in the Dweila neighbourhood of Damascus, before detonating his vest.
Some children are thought to be among the wounded, according to state media.
Horrifying footage showed blood splattered over the shattered pews and masonry walls following the blast.
Syria's interior ministry said a member of the Islamic State group was behind Sunday's attack.
'A suicide attacker affiliated with the Daesh (IS) terrorist group entered the Saint Elias church... opened fire then blew himself up with an explosive belt,' the ministry said in a statement.
The attack 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 extremist groups in the war-torn country.
The attack comes 24 hours after Syria's security forces detained Wassim al-Assad, a cousin of toppled leader Bashar al-Assad.
Interior Minister Anas Khattab offered condolences for the victims and said that 'specialised teams from the ministry have begun investigations into the circumstances of this reprehensible crime'.
'These terrorist acts will not stop the efforts of the Syrian state in achieving civil peace,' Khattab said according to a statement.
A witness who identified himself as Rawad said he saw the attacker who was 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 blew himself up,' he said.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
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Surely you know that correlation is NOT causation.
Typo.
Someone ask Senator Ted Cruz how that “wait and see” approach to Ahmad al-Sharaa is working
My church is also in the Greek Orthodox Chuch of Antioch. This hits close to home. Lord have mercy🙏
Yeah. I like how the security guard ran the ba$ta%* over! Then others shot his sorry @$$. Our church has armed guards around it every time we open. Church members who are 2d Amendment nuts (me) take turns. We actually have a few AR’s in a security room it that type of firepower is needed. Members bring theirs on the Sunday they pull guard.
>>>”As President Ahmad al-Sharaa struggles to exert authority across the country, there have been concerns about the presence of sleeper cells of extremist groups in the war-torn country.”<<<
This “president” is an Al-Qaeda/Al Nusra/ISIS terrorist who swapped his robes out for a Brooks Brothers suit and magically became a liberal Jeffersonian democrat (uh huh). Sleeper cells my foot. The bomber was likely one of El Presidente’s merry band of head choppers.
Yes, indeed. Thus, those dictators did some good, at least…a little.
Kinda normal in Syria, no?
ISIS used to operate freely there.
What’s a ”committed Syrian Christian?” That’s not a term I’m familiar with
Assad had a large Copt community and a smaller Christian diaspora community (including a Coptic Catholic Church as part of the Eastern Orthodox in communication with Rome), and even Evangelical churches, that Assad protected. Syria is about 10% Christian from an 85M population. That's a lot of Christians.
"Christians and other religious minorities support a secular dictator in return for protection and access to power. Mubarak was close to the Coptic pope to ensure that the pope’s 8 million followers acquiesced to the dictator’s rule....If Pope Shenouda publicly demanded it, Mubarak would let some Coptic prisoners out of jail and in various ways intervene to keep laws that the pope liked.”
Yes I aware of some of this but not the details you provided. Thank you for these.
You are welcome. It’s a disturbing situation to see Christians persecuted under the Sunni Syrian clusterf—k regime. And Erdogan will pay for it in the long run. He will inherit Sadat’s fate.
AHhhh...
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