Islamic oppression Syria | 25 August 2022

Syria: Suspected drone strike on church inauguration

Two people were killed in an attack during the inauguration of a Greek Orthodox church in north-western Syria. Armed Islamic groups in the area use Turkish equipment in their fight against the Syrian government and its Russian allies, who were both involved in building the church.

 

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An attack during the inauguration of a church in north-western Syria on 24 July 2022 left two people dead and twelve injured, according to an article by Agenzia Fides, published on 25 July 2022. The Greek Orthodox church in the village of al-Suqaylabiyah, near the city of Hama, is a small replica of the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul. Indications show that the rocket attack was launched from a drone. Some areas of the Syrian provinces of Idlib, Aleppo, Hama and Latakia are still controlled by rebel militias and armed Islamic groups, some of which are generously supported with Turkish equipment in their fight against the Syrian government and its Russian allies.

World Watch Research analyst Henriette Kats comments: “According to information from local contacts, one Christian was killed and six Christians were injured in the rocket attack. The inauguration of this mini Hagia Sofia is a statement in itself: The original Byzantine cathedral in Constantinople (now Istanbul) functioned as a Christian place of worship from 360 AD until 1453 when the Ottomans converted it into a mosque. Mustafà Kemal Ataturk, the founder of the republic of Turkey, secularized the building and it became a museum in 1934. In 2020, President Erdogan turned it into a mosque again, sparking outrage among Christians. It was precisely in that year that the construction of the replica in al-Suqaylabiyah started with the support of the Syrian government and Russian political and military sectors. It is conceivable that the attack had both religious and political motives: The church compound was filled with a large crowd of Christian worshippers together with many government officials. Added to this is the fact that, just two days before the inauguration, an aerial bombardment attributed to the Russian air-force had caused several deaths in the Idlib region. The attack may therefore have also been in part some sort of reprisal, especially since there was Russian involvement in the building of the church.”
 

 

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