Suicide blast rocks Syria army estate
Source: Agencies |
May 20, 2012, Sunday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
A SUICIDE vehicle bomb tore through the parking lot of a military compound in an eastern Syrian city yesterday, killing nine people in the latest in a series of blasts in recent months targeting security installations, the country's state media reported.
State TV showed footage of damaged buildings, smoldering cars, and trucks turned upside down. Debris filled a street that was stained with blood.
Attacks such as the blast in Deir al-Zour, a former transit hub for militants heading to fight United States forces in nearby Iraq, have raised fears that al-Qaida-linked jihadis have made strong inroads into Syria's rebel movement.
The report said the vehicle was rigged with 1,000 kilograms of explosives and did heavy damage to buildings up to 100 meters away. It added that the explosion left a crater 5 meters wide and 2 1/2 meters deep.
The state-run news agency SANA said the blast hit the parking lot of a military residential compound. State TV said United Nations observers based in the city visited the site of the blast.
No one claimed responsibility for the attack. A group calling itself the al-Nusra Front has claimed some previous attacks through statements posted on militant websites. Little is known about the group, although Western intelligence officials say it could be a front for a branch of al-Qaida militants from Iraq operating in Syria.
The most recent bombing targeted an intelligence building in Damascus on May 10. It struck during morning rush hour and the high death toll of 55 made it the deadliest such attack since the uprising against President Bashar Assad's regime began in March of last year. Some of the tactics used in Damascus - a small blast drawing attention prior to a larger one - were reminiscent of al-Qaida attacks during Iraq's insurgency.
State TV showed footage of damaged buildings, smoldering cars, and trucks turned upside down. Debris filled a street that was stained with blood.
Attacks such as the blast in Deir al-Zour, a former transit hub for militants heading to fight United States forces in nearby Iraq, have raised fears that al-Qaida-linked jihadis have made strong inroads into Syria's rebel movement.
The report said the vehicle was rigged with 1,000 kilograms of explosives and did heavy damage to buildings up to 100 meters away. It added that the explosion left a crater 5 meters wide and 2 1/2 meters deep.
The state-run news agency SANA said the blast hit the parking lot of a military residential compound. State TV said United Nations observers based in the city visited the site of the blast.
No one claimed responsibility for the attack. A group calling itself the al-Nusra Front has claimed some previous attacks through statements posted on militant websites. Little is known about the group, although Western intelligence officials say it could be a front for a branch of al-Qaida militants from Iraq operating in Syria.
The most recent bombing targeted an intelligence building in Damascus on May 10. It struck during morning rush hour and the high death toll of 55 made it the deadliest such attack since the uprising against President Bashar Assad's regime began in March of last year. Some of the tactics used in Damascus - a small blast drawing attention prior to a larger one - were reminiscent of al-Qaida attacks during Iraq's insurgency.
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