ICC Note: Five Christians were killed after a suicide bomber attacked a checkpoint between two Christian villages in southeast Turkey. The bombing took place on Wednesday about 100m from St. Mary Church, believed to be the oldest church in the world. This ancient building has faced centuries of wars and genocides and has never been destroyed. Yesterday, all the windows were shattered by the bomb that claimed five.

05/26/2016 Turkey (Christian Today): Five people were killed when a suicide bomber attacked a checkpoint between two Syriac Orthodox villages in south-eastern Turkey on Wednesday.

The bombing took place no more than 100m from St Mary church (Idto d’Yoldath-Aloho) in Hah, Tur Abdin, following clashes between pro and anti AKP Kurds.

St Mary is believed to be the oldest church in the world. According to tradition, it is built on the place where the three Wise Men passed on their way to visit Jesus in Bethlehem, and to which they later returned. A temple was therefore erected in the name of Jesus’ mother.

Tur Abdin is a mountainous region meaning ‘The Mountain of the Servants of God’. It is considered the heartland of Syriac Orthodox Christianity, and for many people it is as important as Jerusalem.

“Hah is my heart and soul… it is one of the most important places for our people in the world,” Nuri Kino, an investigative journalist and founder of advocacy group A Demand For Action, told Christian Today.

“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.”

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