Bomb rips Assad stronghold in north Syria
Source: Agencies |
March 19, 2012, Monday
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AN explosion ripped through a residential neighborhood in the northern Syrian city of Aleppo yesterday and the state news agency said it was a "terrorist bombing."
Reports by SANA said two were killed and 30 wounded in what appeared to be the second attack in two days on cities where President Bashar Assad's government enjoys strong support. Three suicide bombings in the capital Damascus on Saturday killed 27 people. The government blamed those on the opposition, which it claims is made up of terrorist groups carrying out a foreign conspiracy. No one claimed responsibility for any of the attacks.
Mohammed Saeed, an Aleppo resident, said a car bomb exploded near the Political Security Directorate in the city's central neighborhood of Suleimaniyeh. He said the neighborhood has a large Christian population.
The explosion occurred about 1pm and security forces started shooting in the air and cordoned off the area to prevent people from approaching, Saeed said. At that time of day, the area is usually crowded with people, especially on a Sunday, the first day of Syria's workweek, he added.
"It was a strong explosion. It shook parts of the city," Saeed said, citing nearby residents.
Both cities are considered Assad strongholds and have remained relatively insulated from the unrest shaking much of the country since the start of the uprising. Assad security forces have violently cracked down on dissent as protests have spread. Many in the opposition have taken up arms to attack government troops, as the increasingly militarized conflict has become one of the bloodiest of the Arab Spring.
The UN says about 8,000 people have been killed in a year.
There have been a string of large-scale bombings near government security buildings in Damascus and Aleppo that suggest a dangerous, wild-card element to the anti-government revolt. The government has blamed the opposition, which denies any role or the capabilities to carry out sophisticated attacks.
After other similar attacks, US officials suggested al-Qaida militants may be joining the fray. A previously unknown Islamist group calling itself Al-Nusra Front to Protect the Levant claimed responsibility for previous attacks in a video posted online, saying it carried them out "to avenge the people of Homs."
Homs is an opposition stronghold in central Syria that has been hard-hit in the government crackdown.
Reports by SANA said two were killed and 30 wounded in what appeared to be the second attack in two days on cities where President Bashar Assad's government enjoys strong support. Three suicide bombings in the capital Damascus on Saturday killed 27 people. The government blamed those on the opposition, which it claims is made up of terrorist groups carrying out a foreign conspiracy. No one claimed responsibility for any of the attacks.
Mohammed Saeed, an Aleppo resident, said a car bomb exploded near the Political Security Directorate in the city's central neighborhood of Suleimaniyeh. He said the neighborhood has a large Christian population.
The explosion occurred about 1pm and security forces started shooting in the air and cordoned off the area to prevent people from approaching, Saeed said. At that time of day, the area is usually crowded with people, especially on a Sunday, the first day of Syria's workweek, he added.
"It was a strong explosion. It shook parts of the city," Saeed said, citing nearby residents.
Both cities are considered Assad strongholds and have remained relatively insulated from the unrest shaking much of the country since the start of the uprising. Assad security forces have violently cracked down on dissent as protests have spread. Many in the opposition have taken up arms to attack government troops, as the increasingly militarized conflict has become one of the bloodiest of the Arab Spring.
The UN says about 8,000 people have been killed in a year.
There have been a string of large-scale bombings near government security buildings in Damascus and Aleppo that suggest a dangerous, wild-card element to the anti-government revolt. The government has blamed the opposition, which denies any role or the capabilities to carry out sophisticated attacks.
After other similar attacks, US officials suggested al-Qaida militants may be joining the fray. A previously unknown Islamist group calling itself Al-Nusra Front to Protect the Levant claimed responsibility for previous attacks in a video posted online, saying it carried them out "to avenge the people of Homs."
Homs is an opposition stronghold in central Syria that has been hard-hit in the government crackdown.
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