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| The church is not far from the eastern Bab Sharqi gate of Damascus's Old City |
BY C STONE | STONE NEWS NETWORK ||| SYRIA
A suicide bombing at a Damscaus church has killed approximately 22, and wounded 63 people.
A man opened fire with a gun at the Greek Orthodox Church of the Prophet Elias in Dweila during a Sunday evening service. He then detonated an explosive vest.
According to the BBC, the attacker was part of the jihadist group named Islamic State (IS).
The inside of the church was covered with blood, broken windows, and smashed pews.
Per the BBC:
The Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch said in a statement: "The treacherous hand of evil struck this evening, claiming our lives, along with the lives of our loved ones who fell today as martyrs during the evening divine liturgy."
According to initial information, the bomb blast occurred at the entrance to the church, resulting in the deaths of people who were both inside the building and in the immediate vicinity, it added.
The patriarchate called upon Syria's interim authorities to "assume full responsibility for what has happened and continues to happen in terms of violation against the sanctity of churches, and to ensure the protection of all citizens".
Interior Minister Anas Khattab said specialised teams from his ministry had begun investigating the circumstances of what he called a "reprehensible crime".
"These terrorist acts will not stop the efforts of the Syrian state in achieving civil peace," he added.
The office of UN special envoy for Syria, Geir Pedersen, condemned the attack and urged Syrians "to unite in rejecting terrorism, extremism, incitement and the targeting of any community".
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