Gunmen kill at least seven at Greek Orthodox church funeral in Jordan

King Abdullah II vows harshest retaliation after Karak church shooting

Gunmen opened fire on a funeral at a Greek Orthodox church in a Christian village south of Amman, Jordan, killing at least seven people and wounding 34 others, The Wall Street Journal reported from Dubai. The shooting occurred Friday in the Karak governorate. The Wall Street Journal described the attack as “a rare assault on Christians” in the Muslim-majority country neighboring Israel. No group had immediately claimed responsibility.

King Abdullah II called the shooting a terrorist attack and promised the harshest retaliation. “The terrorist attack against Karak will be met with the harshest retaliation,” he said, referring to the governorate where the shooting happened. “Those who delude themselves into thinking that they can divide Jordanians with their bullets have no chance in the face of our unity.”

Witnesses said they heard assault rifles firing in the village as some people fled and others threw themselves to the ground. Jordan’s state-owned broadcaster aired footage showing at least three gunmen firing at the church before going inside.

U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz condemned the shooting. “Attacks on Christians continue to escalate worldwide and must be stopped,” Waltz said. The Trump administration has focused on threats to Christians globally, according to the report.

The report described Jordan as one of the U.S.’s most reliable partners in the Middle East. Washington has sent billions of dollars in military and economic support over the years and has used the kingdom as a basing point in the Iran war, drawing missile fire from Tehran.

Jordan is home to 11.9 million people and has a small Christian population, representing about 2% of the country. Christianity has deep roots there: the Bible recounts John the Baptist preaching to a flock around the Jordan River and baptizing Jesus there.

Murad Batal Shishani, the founder of Remarks OPV, an intelligence-monitoring firm in London, said, “Christians in Jordan have always been well-integrated into Jordanian society.” Shishani said militants “aim to target them to break social cohesion and shake confidence in the security apparatus, hoping to attract more recruits or inspire further attacks.”

The Wall Street Journal reported that “Jordan has faced a series of attacks by Islamic extremists in the past.” Coordinated bombings of hotels in Amman in 2005 by al Qaeda in Iraq killed dozens of people and wounded more than 100 others. In 2016, also in Karak, gunmen claimed by Islamic State opened fire at a Crusader-era castle, killing 10, including a Canadian tourist.