Suicide Bombings Target Protection Web sites in Damascus, Dozens Dead
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December 23, 2011 Syria's govt says two suicide attacks on protection web sites in the money, Damascus, have killed and injured scores of civilians and soldiers. The authorities say at least 40 folks have been killed and 150 have been wounded in the attacks, which have been carried out in an upscale neighborhood, targeting strategic govt and military buildings. Mekdad advised journalists that "terrorists" have been responsible for the attacks. The unprecedented blasts on December 23 came a day right after an advance crew of Arab League observers arrived in the region to check Syria's promise to stop its crackdown on protesters demanding the ouster of President Bashar al-Assad. Mekdad and other govt officials took the observers to the scene of the explosions, citing them as evidence of their extended-standing claims that the latest unrest in Syria is not due to a well-known uprising, but the perform of terrorists. Peaceful protests began in Syria in March, and have been noticed as portion of the Arab Spring protests that swept the Middle East and North Africa. But amid a fierce govt crackdown on dissent, the circumstance has steadily advanced into an armed conflict pitting the Syrian armed forces towards opposition military units whose ranks are bolstered by defectors. 1st Suicide Bombs Given that Uprising Began The blasts on December 23 have been the 1st suicide bombings in Syria given that the uprising began. ​​ State television reported that civilians and soldiers have been killed when suicide bombers detonated explosives-packed automobiles exterior the Basic Intelligence Agency and a branch of military intelligence. The reports blamed "Al-Qaeda terrorists" for the attacks. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which is based mostly in London, mentioned witnesses reported the blasts and that weighty gunfire was heard right after the explosions. The attacks are deemed to be unprecedented since they struck close to the heart of Assad's regime. U.S. State Department spokesman Mark Toner, in a statement on the bombings, mentioned "There is no justification for terrorism of any sort and we condemn these acts wherever they take place." The United Nations estimates that a lot more than 5,000 folks have been killed in Syria given that March. compiled from agency reports Source: http://ping.fm/4jHJr bombings_target_protection_web sites_in_damascus/24431289.html Copyright (c) 2011. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free of charge Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.