Bombing of St. Mary Church in Qamishli, Syria

On Thursday 11 July 2019 a bomb attack on a Syriac-Orthodox church was carried out in the city of Qamishli, Al-Hassaka province, northeast Syria. The bomb was planted in a van and parked in front of the St. Mary church. The bomb targeted civilians. It wounded several people and caused a lot of material damage. Human casualty would have been much more if the bomb would have exploded five minutes later when worshippers would exit church mass. On the same day motorbike-bombs were planted in the provincial city Al-Hassake and a car bomb blast in Afrin killed 11 people, including children, and wounded many others.

ISIS claimed the bomb attack in a statement. These acts of intimidation aim to create disorder and insecurity amongst Syriac Christians. Christians are a continuous target in the Democratic Automation Administration of North & East Syria. These bombings show that it is still not safe for Christians in Syria and in the Middle East. Christians are consciously targeted.