At least 13 civilians died and another 53 were injured on Sunday in a “suicidal attack” perpetrated by an alleged member of the Islamic State Terrorist Group (IS) against the Christian Church of Mar Elias in Damascus, the Syrian capital, the Ministry of Health Syrian said.
“The number of dead by the terrorist attack targeted the Dweileh’s Sea Church in Damileh, Damascus, increased to 13, while the number of injuries is 53,” the folder said in a brief statement widespread by the Syrian official news agency “Sana”.
In turn, the Interior Ministry informed the agency that “a bomb man affiliated with terrorist organization EI” entered the church, where “opened fire and detonated his explosive vest”, killing several civilians and hurting others.
The group of rescites known as white helmets, which for years operated in Syria areas in the hands of the opposition and has now been integrated with the new government after the fall of Bashar Al-Assad in December last year, raised the dead to 15 and stated that there are “several more” wounded people, according to an initial balance.
“Syrian Civil Defense emergency teams are working to transport bodies to hospitals and isolate the site,” the group said on their official account on social network X.
In addition, the Syrian Human Rights Observatory stated that the attack caused the death of 19 faithful and injured “dozens” of people, explaining that man detonated his explosive belt after triggered indiscriminately against those present in Sunday Mass.
So far, no group claimed the attack.
Syrian authorities have announced in recent months the dismantling of cells and the arrest of several members of terrorist groups such as the Islamic State, an organization that was territorially defeated in Syria, but is still present in some desert areas of the country.
Assad’s fall and sectarian clashes that occurred later raised fears of a resurgence of the terrorist group, which claimed their first attacks against the new Damascus authorities on May 30.
