Who is Saraya Ansar al-Sunna, radical group behind deadly Syria church attack?
An obscure new radical group in Syria may prove weak physically and financially, but can provide an ideological continuity that allows ISIS-like groups to continue to emerge in the future.
Saraya Ansar al-Sunna, the little-known armed extremist group that claimed a bloody suicide attack on the Saint Elias church in Damascus last month, is rising in the shadows of the Islamic State as a new-generation threat fanning sectarian conflict and chaos in war-ravaged Syria.
The radical group — whose name in English translates to the Brigades of Sunni Supporters and is believed to have been founded in February — has claimed responsibility for a string of attacks in recent weeks that are aimed at fomenting lasting instability in the country. It gained more attention last month when it claimed the suicide bombing at the Greek Orthodox church of Saint Elias, which killed at least 25 people and wounded more than 50 others during a Sunday mass on June 22.
The extremist militant group had reportedly made contact with ISIS earlier in June, and though it officially denies such a connection, its discourse and media organization suggest an ideological and operational affinity to ISIS.
How Saraya Ansar al-Sunna emerged
