الأردن: ارتفاع حصيلة قتلى كنيسة الكرك إلى 8

The number of fatalities from the terrorist attack on a church in the village of Hamoud in Karak Governorate, southern Jordan, has risen to 8 people, according to a new toll announced by Health Minister Ibrahim Al-Badour today, Saturday.

The minister told AFP that the number of fatalities from the attack on the Karak church has increased to 8 after one of the injured, who was in critical condition, passed away, noting that there are 26 injured individuals still receiving treatment in hospitals, including one critical case.

Jordanian authorities announced yesterday, Friday, that 7 people were killed in gunfire carried out by "extremist" gunmen inside and outside the Orthodox Church in Karak Governorate, located 118 km south of Amman.

The authorities are still searching for the attackers, adding that it is too early to determine whether they have connections to known groups inside or outside Jordan.

For his part, King Abdullah II vowed to punish the perpetrators of the terrorist act with the harshest penalties, affirming, "We will strike with an iron fist against anyone who dares to harm this country." He wrote on the platform "X," "Those who thought that the treacherous bullets could divide the ranks of Jordanians have failed in their attempts against our resilience and unity."

Prime Minister Jaafar Hassan stated in a post on "X" hours after the attack, "This is the result of extremist takfiri thought and the result of blind extremism, and we will not allow society to go down this path."

Karak Governorate witnessed a series of attacks in 2016, most of which were attributed to ISIS, the most severe of which was an attack targeting a security center and police patrols, resulting in 10 fatalities, including 7 security personnel and a tourist in December. Four gunmen who had fortified themselves in Karak Castle were killed during a confrontation with security forces afterward.