Damascus bomb blast kills Syria's defense minister
Source: Agencies |
July 19, 2012, Thursday
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A BOMB ripped through a high-level security meeting in the Syrian capital yesterday, killing the defense minister as well as President Bashar Assad's brother-in-law in the harshest blow to the government's inner circle in the 16-month uprising.
Syrian state-run TV said the blast came during a meeting of Cabinet ministers and senior security officials in Damascus, which has seen four straight days of clashes between rebels and government troops.
The high-level assassinations could signal a turning point in Syria's civil war as the violence becomes increasingly chaotic.
Syria's rebel commander, Riad al-Asaad, said his forces carried out the attack.
Although state-run TV said it was a suicide blast, al-Asaad said his rebel forces planted a bomb in the room and detonated it. All those involved in carrying out the attack are safe, he said.
Defense Minister Dawoud Rajha, 65, a former army general, is the most senior government official to be killed in the rebels' battle to oust Assad. Also killed was General Assef Shawkat, the deputy defense minister and one of the most feared figures in Assad's inner circle. He is married to Assad's elder sister, Bushra.
Interior Minister Mohammed Shaar was wounded and in a stable condition, state-run TV said.
Republican Guard troops later surrounded the nearby al-Shami Hospital, where some officials had been taken for treatment, according to witnesses.
Damascus-based activist Omar al-Dimashki said large numbers of troops and plainclothes police were deployed in the streets after the explosion. Snipers took position on high buildings in different neighborhoods, he added.
"More than 80 percent of shops in Damascus are closed. People are rushing home," he said.
The attack came two days before the beginning of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, when observant Muslims abstain from eating, drinking and sex from dawn to dusk. Last year, anti-government protests increased sharply during Ramadan.
State-run TV reported that a presidential decree named General Fahd Jassem al-Freij as the new defense minister. Al-Freij used to be the army chief of staff.
The violence in Syria has spiked in recent months. Besides a government crackdown, rebel fighters are launching increasingly deadly attacks on government targets, and several major suicide attacks this year suggest that al-Qaida or other extremists are joining the fight.
Activists say more than 17,000 people have died since the uprising began in March 2011.
The Syrian army said in a statement that its forces will continue to fight.
"Whoever thinks that by targeting the country's leaders they will be able to twist Syria's arm is disillusioned because Syria's people, army and leadership are now more determined than ever to fight terrorism ... and cleanse the nation from the armed gangs," it said.
Rajha was the most senior Christian government official in Syria, appointed to the post by Assad last year. His death will resonate with Syria's minority Christians, who make up about 10 percent of the population and have mostly stood by the government.
The blast also came on the day the UN Security Council had been expected to vote on a resolution aimed at pressuring Assad to comply with a peace plan put forward by Kofi Annan.
State-run news agency SANA said the bombing was aimed at the National Security building, headquarters of one of Syria's intelligence branches, and less than 500 meters from the US Embassy.
Syrian state-run TV said the blast came during a meeting of Cabinet ministers and senior security officials in Damascus, which has seen four straight days of clashes between rebels and government troops.
The high-level assassinations could signal a turning point in Syria's civil war as the violence becomes increasingly chaotic.
Syria's rebel commander, Riad al-Asaad, said his forces carried out the attack.
Although state-run TV said it was a suicide blast, al-Asaad said his rebel forces planted a bomb in the room and detonated it. All those involved in carrying out the attack are safe, he said.
Defense Minister Dawoud Rajha, 65, a former army general, is the most senior government official to be killed in the rebels' battle to oust Assad. Also killed was General Assef Shawkat, the deputy defense minister and one of the most feared figures in Assad's inner circle. He is married to Assad's elder sister, Bushra.
Interior Minister Mohammed Shaar was wounded and in a stable condition, state-run TV said.
Republican Guard troops later surrounded the nearby al-Shami Hospital, where some officials had been taken for treatment, according to witnesses.
Damascus-based activist Omar al-Dimashki said large numbers of troops and plainclothes police were deployed in the streets after the explosion. Snipers took position on high buildings in different neighborhoods, he added.
"More than 80 percent of shops in Damascus are closed. People are rushing home," he said.
The attack came two days before the beginning of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, when observant Muslims abstain from eating, drinking and sex from dawn to dusk. Last year, anti-government protests increased sharply during Ramadan.
State-run TV reported that a presidential decree named General Fahd Jassem al-Freij as the new defense minister. Al-Freij used to be the army chief of staff.
The violence in Syria has spiked in recent months. Besides a government crackdown, rebel fighters are launching increasingly deadly attacks on government targets, and several major suicide attacks this year suggest that al-Qaida or other extremists are joining the fight.
Activists say more than 17,000 people have died since the uprising began in March 2011.
The Syrian army said in a statement that its forces will continue to fight.
"Whoever thinks that by targeting the country's leaders they will be able to twist Syria's arm is disillusioned because Syria's people, army and leadership are now more determined than ever to fight terrorism ... and cleanse the nation from the armed gangs," it said.
Rajha was the most senior Christian government official in Syria, appointed to the post by Assad last year. His death will resonate with Syria's minority Christians, who make up about 10 percent of the population and have mostly stood by the government.
The blast also came on the day the UN Security Council had been expected to vote on a resolution aimed at pressuring Assad to comply with a peace plan put forward by Kofi Annan.
State-run news agency SANA said the bombing was aimed at the National Security building, headquarters of one of Syria's intelligence branches, and less than 500 meters from the US Embassy.
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