Deadly bombing rocks Syrian capital
Damascus bomb comes two days before report
That’s the freedom they want? What type of freedom
is this? UNIDENTIFIED
SYRIAN
Abomb rocked the Syrian capital Friday, killing as many as 26 people, injuring dozens more and leaving pools of blood, shards of glass and body parts in the streets, state media reported.
It was the second major attack in Damascus in as many weeks, marking the latest grim twist in a conflict that the United Nations says has left more than 5,000 people dead since March.
Terming it “a new escalation of terrorism” on the part of government opponents, the interior ministry vowed to strike back “with an iron fist.”
Opponents of President Bashar Assad accused the government itself of staging the bombings to sully the reputation of protesters who have been staging mostly peaceful demonstrations, which they say have been met with gunfire, arrests, beatings and torture.
The latest attacks came two days before an Arab League ministerial committee is scheduled to review the preliminary findings of an observer mission sent to Syria to monitor government compliance with regional demands to end the crackdown.
Opposition supporters have expressed mounting frustration with the mission, which they charge has done little but provide a cover for more violence. Activists said security forces killed as many 35 people Friday, the start of the weekend in Syria and a day of major protests as Muslim worshippers spill out of mosques after midday prayers.
The Syrian National Council, the country’s most prominent opposition bloc, urged the league to seek the assistance of the United Nations Security Council, saying Fri day’s bombing “clearly bear(s) the regime’s fingerprints.” The 22-member-regional bloc has threatened to go to the security council if the government does not fulfil its obligations under a league-negotiated peace plan to withdraw security forces from residential areas, release political prisoners and negotiate with its opponents.
Syrian officials counter that bombings prove they are up against armed terrorists. Interior Minister Mohammed Shaar said a suicide bomber targeted an intersection in the central Midan neighbourhood full of shops, pedestrians and cars with the aim of killing as many people as possible.
The official Syrian Arab News Agency said at least 11 bodies were recovered along with the unidentified remains of as many as 15 other people. At least 63, including police and civilians, were injured.
State television aired footage of a police bus with blood and shattered glass on the seats. Furious residents held up pieces of flesh to the camera.
“That’s the freedom they want? What type of freedom is this?” one man yelled.
Damascus has been relatively sheltered from the unrest sweeping through large parts of the country. But the city has been on edge since a Dec. 23 attack in which authorities said two suicide car bombers targeting security agencies in Damascus killed 44 people and injured 166. Authorities were quick to lay the blame for that attack on al-qaeda but did not immediately finger a specific suspect on Friday.
Midan is one of the few neighbourhoods in central Damascus that has seen regular anti-government protests. Amjad, a local resident too afraid to have his full name published, said the explosion took place near a police station in an area where security forces and militiamen gather before breaking up demonstrations.
He said he and a friend were headed to a nearby mosque when they heard the blast and rushed to the scene.