The suicide attack was the first atrocity the Islamist terrorist group in Syria since President al-Assad was deposed.
By Catholics for Catholics
In a horrid display of carnage, a suicide bombing by the Islamic State in Damascus killed 22 people and wounded 63, according to the Syrian state media.
IS carried out the terrorist attack Sunday night and it was the first major operative and the first suicide bombing since Bashar al-Assad, the former Syrian president, was overthrown in December and substituted by an Islamist-led government, according to The Guardian.
According to The Guardian, a man linked with IS walked into the Greek Orthodox Saint Elias church in the old Christian quarter of Damascus during prayers, started firing and then ignited an explosive vest while inside the church, Syria’s interior ministry said. Eyewitnesses reported a second gunman who did not commit suicide, but also shot at the worshippers.
“People were praying safely under the eyes of God,” said Fadi Ghattas, who said he saw at least 20 people killed. “There were 350 people praying at the church.”
A suicide bomber killed and injured dozens on Sunday in a Syrian Christian Church. Mainstream media doesn't cover it…we do.
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According to the Guardian, Videos of the church’s interior show splintered pews overturned by the force of the blast and the bloodied corpses of congregants splayed out across the church. Nearby residents reported hearing a large blast and then the sound of sirens as security forces attempted to establish a cordon around the area and civil defence personnel headed towards the church.¨¨
Issam Nasr, who was praying at the church, said he saw people “blown to bits”.
“We have never held a knife in our lives. All we ever carried were our prayers,” he said.
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