Three people were killed in northeast Syria on Sunday when a suicide bomber attacked an event commemorating the massacre of Christians more than a century ago, state media and a security source said.

The attack in the city of Qamishli took place as locals gathered at a hall to commemorate the deaths of tens of thousands of Christians by the Ottoman army starting in 1915 in what is known as the Sayfo ("Sword") massacre.

A photographer working with AFP and attending the event said he heard the blast and saw pieces of flesh lying next to damaged cars.

"The suicide attacker tried to enter the hall where people were gathered but was stopped by local security forces, and he detonated himself among them," a security source at the scene told AFP.

The security forces belonged to the Sotoro, a Christian militia based in Syria's northeast.

"Three Sotoro members were killed and five wounded," the security source said.

One Sotoro member told AFP that the suicide bomber "detonated himself near our checkpoint after he couldn't reach his real target, Patriarch Ignatius."

Patriarch Ignatius Aphrem II is the head of the Syriac Orthodox church and was leading the commemoration.

Syria's state news agency SANA also reported three people killed in a "terrorist suicide explosion" in Qamishli but did not specify whether they were civilians or security forces.

Situated along the border with Turkey, Qamishli has been regularly targeted by suicide bombings, many of which have been claimed by the ISIS jihadist group.

Control of the Kurdish-majority city is split between Kurdish militia and pro-government fighters.

Syriac Christians belong to the eastern Christian tradition and pray in Aramaic. They include both Orthodox and Catholic branches, and constitute around 15 percent of Syria's 1.2 million Christians.

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Source: english.alarabiya.net, SOCM Forum

Editor's Note:

Damascus, Wednesday June 22, 2016: After returning safely to the Patriarchate in Damascus following his pastoral visit to the city of Qamishly, His Holiness Patriarch Mor Ignatius Aphrem II, Syriac Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, offered prayers of thanksgiving and condemned the suicide bombing which took place during His Holiness' visit. On Sunday June 19, 2016 following the celebration of the feast of the Pentecost and after the inauguration of a monument for the Syriac Genocide Sayfo which His Holiness presided over, the faithful were gathered inside the auditorium of St. Gabriel School to celebrate the 101st annual Sayfo commemoration when a suicide bomber set himself off a short distance from the place. Two members of the Sutoro Protection Units fell martyrs and several were injured. This terroristic act is planned and executed by people who want to spread hatred and create division among the people of the region. Such acts cause great suffering to the people and aim at destroying the unity of our beloved country Syria.

His Holiness gives thanks to God Almighty for protecting him and all the others who participated in the said event, by His divine care.

He prays for the souls of the martyrs, especially the two young people who lost their lives as a result of this act of terrorism, and offers condolences to their families. He likewise prays for the quick recovery of the injured. His Holiness expresses his thanks and gratitude to their Holinesses and Beatitudes the Patriarchs of the sister churches, as well as different governments and community leaders who offered their sympathies and prayers for His Holiness' safety by calling or writing. He, likewise, thanks the hierarchy, members of the clergy, and the entire faithful of the church who offered their prayers and expressed their concerns through phone calls, emails or text messages.