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Scoop
9 hours ago
- Politics
- Scoop
UN Condemns ‘Heinous' Terrorist Attack At Damascus Church That Killed Dozens
23 June 2025 More than 60 churchgoers were also wounded in the attack, which is reported to be the first in the Syrian capital since rebel groups ousted former president Bashar al-Assad in December, ending more than a decade of civil war. A gunman opened fire inside the Greek Orthodox St. Elias Church in the Dweila neighbourhood before detonating an explosive vest, according to media reports. Photos and video from inside the church showed a heavily damaged altar and pews covered in broken glass. UN chief demands accountability UN Secretary-General António Guterres strongly condemned the attack, expressing his deepest condolences to the families of those killed and wishing a swift recovery to the injured. 'All perpetrators of terrorism must be held accountable,' Stéphane Dujarric, his spokesperson, said on Monday. Mr. Guterres noted that the Syrian interim authorities had attributed the attack to the terrorist group, ISIL – also known as Da'esh – based on preliminary investigations, and he called for a thorough and impartial probe. 'The Secretary-General reaffirms the commitment of the United Nations to supporting the Syrian people in their pursuit of peace, dignity, and justice,' Mr. Dujarric added. Call for justice UN Special Envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen echoed the condemnation, denouncing the bombing 'in the strongest possible terms.' He urged authorities to investigate the attack and ensure accountability. He also called for unity in rejecting terrorism, extremism, incitement, and the targeting of any community in Syria, which has been a patchwork of different faiths throughout its history. No place for extremism Adam Abdelmoula, the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Syria, described the incident as a 'deliberate attack on a place of worship' and stressed that it had targeted civilians, including women and children, gathered in prayer. 'There is no room for violence and extremism,' he said, urging solidarity as Syria moves toward recovery and reconciliation. Mr. Abdelmoula reiterated the UN's continued support for the Syrian people and called for all possible steps to be taken to protect civilians, prevent future attacks, and bring those responsible to justice.
Al Etihad
03-04-2025
- Business
- Al Etihad
Rutte hails defence spending surge ahead of NATO meeting in Brussels as alliance eyes southern threats
3 Apr 2025 17:06 MOHAMMAD GHAZAL (BRUSSELS)NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said on Wednesday that a wave of new defence spending pledges by European allies marks the largest surge since the end of the Cold War, as foreign ministers gather in Brussels for two days of talks on security, Ukraine, and partnerships across the Indo-Pacific and southern investment and industrial capacity will be central to the discussions, with ministers expected to assess national plans ahead of the NATO summit in The Hague this June. Rutte said the scale of current investment is 'impressive, and it is needed,' warning that NATO's ability to defend itself five years from now would have been in doubt without such added that recent commitments by countries like Finland - which moved to increase defence spending to 3% of GDP by 2029 - reflect a broader trend across the alliance.'Look what Germany is doing, opening up half a trillion extra in defence spending. The Europeans coming up with 800 billion extra… also the announcements by Denmark, by Sweden, by the Czech Republic, by so many others,' the NATO chief said during a press briefing.'Many countries who are not yet at 2% are more and more getting to a place where they want to commit,' Rutte added. 'But the last couple of months, the numbers coming in, it's really staggering.'Turning to broader regional threats, he said the alliance was strengthening its engagement with southern partners and maintaining its advisory presence in the region. In response to Aletihad's question on recent Houthi attacks in the Red Sea and concerns about the resurgence of Da'esh, Rutte confirmed that NATO was closely tracking rising instability in the Middle East and North Africa. He pointed to recent high-level consultations with countries such as Egypt, Algeria and Mauritania, saying there was a 'clear interest' in tracking threats across the broader southern NATO chief also said during the briefing that, while NATO has no direct military presence in the Red Sea, it has been working on deepening ties with regional partners to strengthen resilience.'We are active in Iraq, helping build up the armed forces, justice institutions and internal security through NATO Mission Iraq,' he added. 'And of course, we work together in the Anti-Da'esh Coalition.'A NATO official speaking at a separate press briefing earlier this week said the alliance was reviewing plans to open a liaison office in Jordan and scale up coordination with platforms such as the NATO-ICI Regional Centre in Kuwait and the Hub for the South in Naples. The expanded mission in Iraq, set to be approved during this week's meeting, would see NATO advisers support not just defence institutions but also Iraq's Federal Police Command and Ministry of the southern track, Rutte said talks would also centre on maintaining support for Ukraine. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha and EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas are set to attend a session of the NATO-Ukraine Council on Thursday, where ministers are expected to assess military aid and operational needs.'There will be a common thread, which is Ukraine - how to keep Ukraine in the fight, how to make sure we keep on delivering what is necessary,' he said. Rutte also stressed the urgency of scaling up weapons production across the alliance. He said NATO was looking at ways to deepen coordination with partners from the Indo-Pacific - Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand - who will take part in discussions this week on boosting output across shared supply chains.
