Unknown assailants assassinated an Armenian Catholic preist, Hana Ibrahim Bido, from Qamishli, and his father Ibrahim Hana Bido, on the road between Deir ez-Zor and Hassakeh.
On Monday, local networks in Deir ez-Zor, including Deir Ezzor 24 reported that unknown assailants opened fire on the priest and his father while they were on their way to oversee the renovation of the Armenian Catholic Church in Deir ez-Zor city.
The ANHA news agency of the Self-Administration in northeast Syria published on Facebook video recordings of the priest’s car after the assassination.
It said: “There is no further information yet about the identity of the perpetrators or motives for this attack.”
Assassinations have occurred repeatedly in areas under the control of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in eastern Syria.
Accusations have attributed the attacks to the Islamic State (ISIS), which is still active in the area through sleeper cells.
According to the Russian Sputnik news agency, quoting an unnamed source, the car had been driven by Ibrahim Hana Bido, born in 1948, alongside his son, the priest Hana Ibrahim Bido, born in 1979, and two other people, the deacon Fadi and Antoun Malko, and it was shot from close distance from the front.
The source added: “This critically wounded the priest and his father in the head and chest, which led to their deaths from heavy bleeding. They were sent to Hassakeh from a private hospital in the town of al-Shaheel.”
The town of al-Shaheel and its environs are under the control of the SDF, which imposed control over large parts of Deir ez-Zor province, up into Hassakeh province.
Northern and northeast Syria are currently experiencing tension after ongoing clashes between the SDF and the National Army units in the northwestern countryside of Hassakeh province.
A number of areas have been struck by blasts in recent days, including in the city of Qamishli and the city of Tel Abyad, which are controlled by the National Army along with nearby villages.
This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
