Two Christians were killed on 18 June 2016 while attending a memorial service commemorating the 1915 massacre of Assyrians by the Ottoman army during the First World War. Held at a church in the town of Qamishli the service was led by the head of the Syriac Orthodox Church, Patriarch Ignatius Ephraim II. According to the Fides News Agency, security guards stopped the unidentified bomber from entering the church. He then detonated the device, killing himself and two others. No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack. The city in Northeast Syria lies in territory controlled by Kurdish militia and pro-government soldiers.