Mideast governments condemn Syria church bombing as death toll jumps to 25

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The decease toll from an onslaught connected a religion successful Syria has jumped to 25, authorities media say

DAMASCUS, Syria -- The decease toll from an onslaught connected a religion successful Syria has gone up to 25, authorities media said Monday.

The onslaught Sunday connected the Mar Elias Greek Orthodox religion during a Divine Liturgy successful Dweil’a adjacent Damascus was the archetypal of its benignant successful Syria successful years, and comes arsenic Damascus nether its de facto Islamist regularisation is trying to triumph the enactment of minorities. As President Ahmad al-Sharaa struggles to exert authorization crossed the country, determination person been concerns astir the beingness of sleeper cells of extremist groups successful the war-torn country.

The ministry and astir witnesses said a gunman entered the church, and started firing astatine the radical determination earlier detonating his explosive vest.

SANA, citing the Health Ministry, said 63 different radical were wounded successful the attack. Father Fadi Ghattas told The Associated Press aft the onslaught that immoderate 350 radical were praying astatine the church.

The United States, the European Union and governments crossed the Middle East condemned the attack, decrying it arsenic a violent attack.

No radical instantly claimed responsibility, but the Syrian Interior Minister has blamed the extremist Islamic State group.

Since the toppling of Bashar Assad and his family’s decades-long dictatorial regularisation of Syria past December successful a lightning insurgency, al-Sharaa has been pushing to triumph the enactment of Syria’s non-Sunni-Muslim number groups who are acrophobic astir beingness nether Islamist rule.