Bimaristan an-Nuri

Syria: Suicide Attack rocks Old City near Orthodox Christian church WARNING: Explicit

W/S Damaged building

M/S Bombing debris

M/S Damaged church

W/S Damaged church

M/S dead body

W/S dead body

M/S dead body

M/S human remains

M/S Men overlooking body

W/S Men cleaning street

W/S Men cleaning street

M/S Man cleaning street

SCRIPT

Syria: Suicide Attack rocks Old City near Orthodox Christian church

A suicide bomber detonated an explosive belt, killing four people and injuring at least eight others, Syrian State TV reported on Thursday. The attack happened near to the Marimia Church (Church of Mary), the headquarters of the Orthodox patriarchate in Bab Touma, the Christian quarter of Damascus.

The Old City is a UNESCO World Heritage site and one of the oldest cities in the Middle East. It is the area of Damascus that before the conflict began, drew thousands of tourists to the historical sites and monuments in Bab Touma and nearby Bab Sharqi that are almost 4000 years old.

Reporters in Damascus working for Lebanon's Al-Mayadeen TV claimed that the target was the nearby post of the National Defence Forces, part of the Syrian army fighting against the opposition paramilitaries. Christian churches have been targeted by opposition forces in Aleppo and Homs but this is the first attack within the walls of the Old City. Christians are one of Syria's largest minorities making up around 10% of the population.

Snowy Aleppo

The way from my office to Aleppo university hospital