Syrian security forces kill two ISIS-linked militants suspected in Damascus church attack
They were killed in a security operation in the Western Ghouta suburbs of Damascus on Monday in which six other alleged militants were arrested, according to a statement from the ministry, which described the raid as the 'beginning of a thread' that will unravel how the suicide attack was carried out.
The shooting and suicide bombing on Sunday left 25 people dead at Mar Elias Church, in the low-income district of Dweila outside the walls of Old Damascus.
It was one of the deadliest attacks on civilians since the ousting of President Bashar Al Assad in December by forces led by Hayat Tahrir Al Sham (HTS). The former rebel group, which is leading a transitional government, is opposed to ISIS and has fought it in the last 10 years. HTS was affiliated with Al Qaeda until 2014
The Interior Ministry said one of the alleged militants killed in the security operation had enabled the entry of the suicide bomber into the church, while the other 'was planning another terrorist action in a neighbourhood of the capital'. It did not identity of any of the suspects. Explosives were seized, including a booby-trapped motorcycle, it said.
Last month, Syrian security troops conducted operations to expel I SIS from urban centres, killing three of the group's alleged members in Aleppo.
Combating ISIS is crucial for Syria's new government to garner US support, especially after a breakthrough meeting last month between President Donald Trump and Syrian President Ahmad Al Shara, who is also the leader of HTS. Mr Trump said the US would lift sanctions against Syria to help usher in stability under the new authorities in Damascus.
Christians, who make up 5 per cent of Syria's population, have been important politically for Mr Al Shara, to the point that they were the focus of an invitation for two Republican members of the US House of Representatives to visit Syria in April.
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