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Gunmen Kill Seven, Wound 40 in Jordan Church Attack
· Confirmed
In Short: The attack occurred during a funeral service at the Hamoud Church in the village of Hammoud, where up to 200 mourners were present, as reported by WarpBeat.
Two masked gunmen opened fire during a funeral procession at a church in Jordan's Karak governorate, according to survivors quoted by Al Jazeera. The attack, which took place Friday, left seven dead and 40 wounded, as reported by Al Jazeera and Persecution.
Al Jazeera and Persecution reported that the gunmen fired indiscriminately at mourners and returned to shoot wounded victims, with the latter outlet later reporting revised casualty figures of nine deaths and 40 injuries.
The attack occurred during a funeral service at the Hamoud Church in the village of Hammoud, where up to 200 mourners were present, as reported by WarpBeat. Survivors told Al Jazeera that the gunmen fired at the church facade and returned to shoot wounded victims.
The incident took place in Karak, a region about 120km (75 miles) south of Amman, where Christians and Muslims have lived side by side for generations, according to Taylor Luck, a senior Middle East correspondent at the Christian Science Monitor, quoted by Al Jazeera.
Jordanian authorities launched a search for the gunmen, who were located before dawn inside an abandoned house in Karak governorate, according to the Public Security Directorate (PSD) quoted by CBS News and Al Jazeera.
The attack was described as 'unprecedented' and 'perpetrated by a group with no relationship to humanity' by Jordan's Interior Minister Mazen al-Faraya, as reported by Al Jazeera. The minister did not name a specific group responsible for the attack.
Jordan's Public Security Directorate said unidentified gunmen opened fire inside a church in Karak province, as reported by Ewtnnews and OSV News. OSV News added that most of the victims were aged between 50 to 70 years old.
The Archbishop of Jerusalem affirmed that Christians are 'part of the history of this country' and that the attack 'will not undermine national unity,' as quoted by The National.
Ukrainian President Zelenskyy called the attack 'horrific,' as reported by DW, while Syrian officials said Jordan had struck what its military says were 'terrorist organizations' in Syria in retaliation for the attack, as reported by BBC.
The attack holds significance not just for Jordan’s Christian population but also for Amman’s 'public diplomacy' as a custodian of both Christian and Muslim holy sites in Jerusalem, according to political analyst Xavier Abu Eid, quoted by Al Jazeera.
The attack underscores the ongoing tensions and challenges to interfaith solidarity and coexistence in the region, as highlighted by Luck and Abu Eid in their comments to Al Jazeera.
What this adds
The attack took place during a funeral procession at the Hamoud Church in the village of Hammoud, where up to 200 mourners were present, according to WarpBeat. The casualty figures were later revised to nine deaths and 40 injuries, as reported by Persecution.
Background
The attack took place during a funeral procession at the Hamoud Church in the village of Hammoud, where up to 200 mourners were present.
Russian attacks across Ukraine have killed at least two and injured 35 others over the past day, with repeated strikes hitting Zaporizhzhia.
What's confirmed
- At least seven people have been killed, and 34 others wounded, in an attack in Jordan’s Karak governorate that saw gunmen open fire during a funeral at a church.
What's still developing
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