Jerusalem/Amman/New Delhi, Oct 24: India on Saturday strongly condemned the church attack in Karak, Jordan, which killed seven people and injured several others.
“We extend our heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families and wish a swift recovery to those injured in this cowardly attack. We also reaffirm our strong commitment to the fight against terrorism in all its forms and manifestations,” the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a statement.
External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar also expressed his shock at the Karak church attack.
“Deeply shocked by the heinous attack at a church in Karak, Jordan, on Friday, which claimed several innocent lives and left many others injured. Our heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families and wishes for a speedy recovery to those injured. India stands firmly with the government and friendly people of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan in this difficult hour. We also reaffirm our unwavering commitment to fighting terrorism in all its forms and manifestations,” External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar posted on social media.
Jaishankar’s statement came after gunmen opened fire during a funeral at a church in Jordan on Friday, killing seven people and injuring 40 others.
The shooting took place at a Greek Orthodox church in Karak, about 90 kilometres (55 miles) south of the capital, Amman.
Footage broadcast on Jordanian state television showed two gunmen who appear to be holding pistols approaching the church and firing shots.
A third man who appears to be holding a semiautomatic rifle then approaches and opens fire, and all three then run toward the church.
Video footage taken by witnesses shows broken glass and pools of blood on the floor of the church.
Dorgham Halasa, who was among the mourners inside the church, said intense gunfire erupted 15 minutes after the funeral had started, and then people started running.
"It was a weird situation, and heavy gunfire," Halasa said.
He did not see the gunmen, but said other people reported seeing four of them. The Associated Press could not independently verify the number of assailants, and Jordan's security services did not immediately release details.
A government statement said that the attack was "carried out by unknown assailants," but didn't say whether any gunmen were captured or killed. It said that "investigations are underway at full speed."
Jordan declared three days of national mourning, according to the kingdom's Petra News Agency.
Karak is home to a minority Christian population. In 2016, gunmen ambushed police in a series of attacks in Karak, including at a Crusader castle popular with tourists, killing 10 people, including seven officers, and wounding dozens. Jordanian security forces killed those gunmen after a long standoff.
Jordan's Health Minister Ibrahim al-Budour said two of those wounded are in critical condition.
King Abdullah II said on social media that Jordan "will confront the terrorist act that targeted Karak with the harshest penalties" and offered his "deepest condolences to the families of the martyrs, and our wishes for recovery to the wounded."
Jordan's Prime Minister Jafar Hassan said during a security meeting in Karak on Friday evening that the attack was a result of terrorist ideology and blind extremism.
He said the assailants will be punished and legal measures taken against those who seek to introduce extremism.
Ahmed al-Tayeb in Cairo, the grand imam of Al-Azhar, the Sunni Muslim world's foremost religious institution, offered his condolences to the families of victims in Friday's shooting, calling it a "heinous terrorist attack."
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the attack during a funeral as "especially heinous," spokesman Stephane Dujarric said. "The secretary-general also calls for all those responsible to be found and to be held to account."
With inputs from agencies