A suicide bombing at a church in Damascus has resulted in the death of at least 22 individuals with a further 63 reported injured, according to Syria’s health ministry.
The Greek Orthodox Church of the Prophet Elias in the Dweila neighbourhood was targeted during a Sunday evening service. An armed man reportedly opened fire before detonating an explosive vest, as per reports from the interior ministry. The authorities have linked the attacker to the jihadist group Islamic State (IS), however, no immediate claim of responsibility has been issued by the group.
Graphic scenes from inside the church depict a heavily damaged altar and pews strewn with broken glass. Blood splatter is visible across the church walls, painting a vivid picture of the carnage. Eyewitness testimonies corroborate the account of an armed individual entering the church and subsequently detonating an explosive.
This marks the first assault of this nature in Damascus following the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad by Islamist-led rebel forces in December, bringing an end to a devastating 13-year civil war.
The Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch has issued a sorrowful statement, mourning the lives lost in the evening divine liturgy. The Patriarchate has also called upon Syria’s interim authorities to assume full responsibility for the violation of the sanctity of churches and to ensure the protection of all citizens.
Interior Minister Anas Khattab has labelled the incident a “reprehensible crime” and confirmed that specialized teams from his ministry have initiated an investigation into the circumstances of the attack. Khattab reiterated that such acts of terrorism will not hinder the nation’s efforts towards achieving civil peace.
This brutal act of violence has been condemned by UN special envoy for Syria, Geir Pedersen, who called for unity against terrorism and extremism. US special envoy Tom Barrack echoed similar sentiments, stating that such acts of cowardice are unacceptable in the inclusive fabric that Syrians are striving to weave.
The interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa, whose Sunni Islamist group, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), was formerly affiliated with al-Qaeda, has consistently pledged to safeguard religious and ethnic minorities. However, these promises come amidst a backdrop of two waves of deadly sectarian violence in recent months.
In 2016, a series of blasts claimed by IS near the Shia Muslim Sayyida Zeinab shrine in a southern suburb of Damascus resulted in over 70 deaths. Despite the military defeat of IS in Syria in 2019, the UN warns that the threat posed by the group and its affiliates remains significant.
A recent report suggests that the group might exploit the transition in Syria to increase attacks and recruit foreign fighters. The enduring presence of IS fighters in Syria and neighbouring Iraq underlines the persistent threat posed by the group. The central Badia desert reportedly houses about 300 fighters who are responsible for planning external operations.
The detention of over 9,000 IS fighters in prisons across north-eastern Syria and the containment of 40,000 individuals linked to IS, primarily women and children, in several camps, underscores the ongoing struggle against extremist ideologies. As Syria reels from this latest tragedy, the question remains: how will the interim authorities address the continued threat of sectarian violence and ensure the protection of their citizens?
