A bomber in Syria on Sunday detonated himself inside a church filled with people, killing at least 13 people, state media reported. The explosion in Dweil'a on the outskirts of Damascus took place as people were praying inside the Mar Elias Church. SANA, citing the Health Ministry, said that at least 53 people were wounded. Local media reported that children were among the casualties. Syrian Information Minister Hamza Mostafa called it a terrorist attack, the AP reports.
A witness told the AP that he saw the attacker, who was accompanied by two others who later fled, as he was driving near the church. "He was shooting at the church … he then went inside the church and blew himself up," the witness said. 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.
No group immediately claimed responsibility Sunday, but the Interior Ministry said an extremist from the Islamic State group entered the church and fired at people before detonating himself with an explosives vest, echoing some witness testimonies. "This cowardly act goes against the civic values that brings us together," Mostafa said in a post on X. Security forces and first responders rushed to the church. Panicked survivors wailed, and one woman fell to her knees and burst into tears.
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