Aleppo suicide bomber kills Syrian security member, wounds two near church

A suicide bomber attempted to strike near a church in Aleppo on New Year’s Eve, detonating an explosive belt close to a security patrol and killing one security force member while wounding two others, Syria’s interior ministry said.

Interior ministry spokesperson Nour al-Din al-Baba said authorities were investigating the attacker’s identity. He told Syria’s state-run Al Ekhbariya television that the suspect was believed to have an ideological or organizational link to Daesh (Islamic State).

The attack occurred in Aleppo’s Bab al-Faraj neighborhood, according to the interior ministry. No group immediately claimed responsibility.

Syrian authorities have increased coordination with US forces in the fight against Daesh, the report noted. It referenced a December incident in which two US Army soldiers and a civilian interpreter were killed in Syria by a suspected Daesh attacker who targeted a convoy before being shot dead.

Following that episode, the US military carried out large-scale strikes against dozens of Daesh targets inside Syria.

Syria’s state news agency SANA released images showing damage after the blast, including debris and twisted metal in a stone passageway, along with smoke stains on the walls.

The report also described Syria’s current political landscape, saying the government is led by former rebels who removed Bashar al-Assad in late 2024 after years of civil war. It noted that the leadership includes figures linked to Syria’s former Al Qaeda branch that later broke away, and that these factions have clashed with Daesh.

According to the report, Syria has continued working with a US-led coalition against Daesh and reached a cooperation agreement in November during a White House visit by President Ahmed al-Sharaa.