Who was really behind the Syria church bombing?

More than every week has passed for the reason that suicide bombing of a church in Damascus, Syria, shocked town.

At least 25 people died consequently of the attack and there remains to be some dispute about who bears ultimate responsibility for the atrocity.

When Bashar al-Assad’s secular government fell late last 12 months to the al-Qaeda offshoot HTS, there have been serious concerns about what this may mean for Syria’s Christians and other minorities.

So far nonetheless, the brand new leadership of Syria has stressed its commitment to non secular tolerance and pluralism, despite its Islamist background.

The day after the suicide attack, the federal government blamed a cell of the so-called Islamic State, adding that it had arrested its members. Unusually nonetheless, IS has not taken responsibility for the attack – although neither have they denied involvement.

Another possible wrongdoer is an apparently latest Islamist group referred to as Brigade of Supporters of the Sunnis. The group said on the messaging app Telegram that’s was behind the attack. It is believed that the group broke away from the governing HTS faction and has renewed ties with the so-called Islamic State.

The group claimed the attack was in retaliation for residents in the realm stopping a bunch of Muslims from broadcasting loud Islamic chants outside of the church.

There is a 3rd theory. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights has said that reliable sources have told it that one in every of those injured within the attack was the truth is one in every of the perpetrators and is a member of the Syrian Ministry of Defence. The rights group also said it believes the suicide bomber was also a member of the Syrian security forces.

The situation in Syria stays opaque. In March the country saw its worst case of sectarian violence for the reason that fall of Assad, when tons of of Alawites were massacred. Whether the massacre was ordered by the federal government or just the results of its inability to manage the multiple armed groups within the country remains to be unclear.

Matthew Barnes, Open Doors spokesperson for the Middle East said, “For the federal government it could be very shameful if indeed a member of its own ranks was the attacker. For them it could be best if an organisation like Islamic State committed this terror attack, especially because almost everyone on the planet considers IS a terrorist organisation. 

“Christians are shocked and scared after what happened in Damascus. Open Doors calls for prayer for the church in Syria. Pray for peace of heart and for defense within the weeks to return.”