Suicide bomber at Syrian church kills at least 13

DWEIL'A, Syria — A suicide bomber in Syria on Sunday detonated himself inside a church filled with people, killing at least 13, Syrian state media reported.

The explosion in Dweil'a in the outskirts of Damascus took place as people were praying inside the Mar Elias Church. SANA, citing the Health Ministry, said that at least 53 others were wounded. Britain-based war monitor the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said there were at least 19 people killed and dozens of others wounded, but did not give exact numbers. Some local media reported that children were among the casualties.

The attack was the first of its kind in Syria in years, and comes as Damascus, under its de facto Islamist rule, is trying to win the support of minorities. As President Ahmad al-Sharaa struggles to exert authority across the country, there have been concerns about the presence of sleeper cells of extremist groups in the war-torn country.