Sawt Falasteen - More than 20 killed in suicide attack on Damascus church

The international community condemned the attack, the first of its kind in the Syrian capital since Islamist-led forces toppled longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad in December.

It was also the first inside a church in Syria since the country's civil war erupted in 2011, according to a monitor.

Security remains one of the greatest challenges for Syria's new authorities, whom the international community has repeatedly urged to protect minorities.

An interior ministry statement said: "A suicide attacker affiliated with the Daesh (IS) terrorist group entered the Saint Elias church in the Dwelaa area... opened fire then blew himself up with an explosive belt."

AFP correspondents saw first responders transporting people from the Orthodox church as security forces cordoned off the area.

The church itself was strewn with wood from fittings and pews, with fallen icons and pools of blood on the floor.

A health ministry statement carried by state news agency SANA said 22 people had been killed and dozens wounded, raising an earlier toll of 20 dead.

Lawrence Maamari who was inside the church when they attack happened told AFP a man had entered and begun shooting. People "tried to stop him before he blew himself up", he added.

Ziad Helou, 40, who was at a shop nearby, said he heard gunfire then an explosion, and saw glass flying.

"We saw fire in the church and the remains of wooden benches thrown all the way to the entrance," he said.

- 'Heinous crime' -

The blast sparked panic and fear in the church, which had been full of worshippers including children and the elderly, eyewitnesses said. Families were still searching desperately for missing loved ones.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said it was the first suicide attack inside a church in Syria since war erupted in 2011. Other churches had been damaged or had attacks had been in their vicinity during the conflict -- but none had been so directly targeted.

The Orthodox patriarchate in Damascus called on "the authorities to bear full responsibility for what has happened and is happening concerning the violation of the sanctity of churches, and to ensure the protection of all citizens".

Syria's Christian community has shrunk from around one million before the war to under 300,000 due to waves of displacement and emigration.

The United Nations special envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen expressed "outrage at this heinous crime", calling for a full investigation.

US special envoy Tom Barrack said Washington supported Syria "as it fights against those who are seeking to create instability and fear in their country and the broader region".

Turkey, which is close to the new authorities, expressed confidence that Syrians would stay united in "their fight against terrorist organisations that seek to sow chaos in the country".

France's foreign ministry restated its commitment to "a transition in Syria that allows Syrians, whatever their religion, to live in peace and security in a free, united, pluralistic, prosperous, stable and sovereign" country.

Egypt's Al-Azhar, Sunni Islam's prestigious seat of learning, called it a "blatant assault on the right to life" and worship.

- Investigation -

Syria's foreign ministry described the attack as "a desperate attempt to undermine national coexistence and to destabilise the country".

Assad had portrayed himself as a protector of minorities, who during Syria's nearly 14-year civil war were targeted by numerous attacks -- many of them claimed by jihadist groups including IS.

Since the new authorities took power, the international community has urged the government to protect minorities and ensure their participation in Syria's transition, particularly after sectarian violence in recent months.

Interior Minister Anas Khattab said that specialised teams had begun investigating.

"These terrorist acts will not stop the efforts of the Syrian state in achieving civil peace," Khattab said according to a statement.

In an interview earlier this month, Khattab said that IS had shifted "to studied attacks on strategic targets" and had attempted "to carry out attacks against the Christian and Shiite community" that the authorities had thwarted.

Last month, IS claimed its first attack on Syria's new government forces, but authorities said they had arrested members of an IS cell near Damascus, accusing them of preparing attacks.

IS seized large swathes of Syrian and Iraqi territory in the early years of the civil war, declaring a cross-border "caliphate" in 2014 before being territorially defeated in 2019.

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Z.AlNajjar--SF-PST