Suicide Bomber Attacks Christian Villages in Turkey, Leaving 5 Dead

Five people were killed when a suicide bomber blew up a checkpoint between two ancient Syrian Orthodox villages in Turkey.

ChristianToday.com reports that the bombing took place very close to St. Mary Church (Idto d’Yoldath-Aloho), in Hah, Tur Abdin. The church is considered to be the oldest church in the world. It is thought that the three Wise Men who traveled to Bethlehem to see the infant Christ passed through the spot on which it is built. 

"Yuldath Aloho has faced many wars and genocides and never been destroyed. Yesterday all the windows were crashed. We feel with all those that were killed, no human blood, no matter if they are Turks, Kurds or Assyrian/Syriacs should be shared,” said Nuri Kino, an investigative journalist and founder of the advocacy group A Demand for Action.

The residents of the region are weary of the constant fighting and unrest.

"The inhabitants in our villages are vulnerable and we are pleading to the world to stop them from being hurt. Yesterday was a day of total shock for us, we are losing our people in Iraq and Syria and now this in Turkey," said Kino. "We are tired of tears, tired of being hurt in country after country. The people of Tur Abdin stand not alone."

Tur Abdin is situated in a mountainous region, and the meaning of its name is “The Mountain of the Servants of God.” It is considered to be the heartland of Syriac Orthodox Christianity.

Publication date: May 26, 2016