Suicide attack kills 3 at Christian massacre memorial in Syria

Three people are killed in northeast Syria on Sunday when a suicide bomber attacks an event commemorating the massacre of Christians more than a century ago, state media and a security source say.

The attack in the city of Qamishli takes place as locals gather at a hall to commemorate the deaths of tens of thousands of Christians by the Ottoman army starting in 1915 in what is known as the Sayfo (“Sword”) massacre.

A photographer working with AFP and attending the event says he heard the blast and saw pieces of flesh lying next to damaged cars.

“The suicide attacker tried to enter the hall where people were gathered but was stopped by local security forces, and he detonated himself among them,” a security source at the scene tells AFP.

The security forces belong to the Sotoro, a Christian militia based in Syria’s northeast.

“Three Sotoro members were killed and five wounded,” the security source says.

— AFP