Thousands of mourners have gathered for the funerals of eight of the victims of a deadly attack on a church in southern Jordan, with Prime Minister Jafar Hassan also in attendance.
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Thousands → gather → attendance
The burials on Sunday were beside St George’s Greek Orthodox Church in the village of Hamoud, southwest of the capital, Amman, two days after attackers opened fire during another funeral there.
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attackers → open → funeral
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Nine people were killed and dozens wounded in a rare attack on Jordan’s Christian minority, prompting three days of national mourning.
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dozens → order → mourning
The ninth victim, Mohammed al-Qasous, is due to be buried on Monday, his family told the AFP news agency.
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family → bury → agency
Coffins wrapped in Jordanian flags were carried through crowds gathered around the church in Karak province, as priests led prayers and security personnel stood guard.
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personnel → wrap → guard
Prime Minister Hassan attended the service alongside government ministers and senior military and civilian officials, according to Jordan’s state news agency, Petra.
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Hassan → attend → agency
Thousands of citizens also participated in the funeral procession, Petra said.
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Petra → participate → procession
Among those caught in Friday’s shooting was Sahar al-Halsa, who told the Reuters news agency from her nearby home that she sheltered behind a pillar as gunfire erupted and people screamed.
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people → catch → pillar
When she rushed outside, she found her cousin Assem lying wounded.
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cousin → rush → ?
“Assem, Assem, my darling, answer me,” she recalled calling to him.
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she → answer → him
He briefly opened his eyes before dying, she said.
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she → open → eyes
Father Yohanna Hamati told AFP that about 170 to 200 people were at the church for Friday’s funeral when firing began outside.
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firing → tell → funeral
The mourners initially struggled to understand what was happening, he said, before people began rushing into the church to escape.
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people → struggle → church
By Saturday, bullet holes remained in the walls and wooden pews, and windows had been shattered.
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windows → remain → walls
Church workers were cleaning away blood as villagers prepared to bury the dead.
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villagers → clean → dead
Jordanian authorities have described the attack as “extremist terrorism”.
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authorities → describe → terrorism
King Abdullah, who visited some of the wounded in hospital on Friday, has promised a forceful response and the assailants are still being sought.
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assailants → visit → response
Officials say they have not established whether the attackers were connected to an armed group and no organisation has claimed responsibility.
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organisation → say → responsibility
The violence has also drawn expressions of solidarity across religious lines.
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violence → draw → lines
Christians account for about 3 percent of Jordan’s largely Muslim population and AFP reported that Muslims were among those wounded.
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Muslims → account → those
Young volunteers visited a hospital in Karak with flowers and a message reading, “Our loss is one”.
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loss → visit → flowers
The mourning reached Washington, DC, on Sunday, where members of the Jordanian community lit candles outside their country’s embassy.
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members → reach → embassy
Jordan’s ambassador to the US, Dina Kawar, told those gathered that efforts to stir religious division were “bound to fail”.
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efforts → tell → division
Back in Hamoud, Father Hamati appealed for unity, stressing that Muslims had also suffered in the attack.
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Muslims → appeal → attack
“We make no distinction between Muslim and Christian,” he told AFP.
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he → make → AFP
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