UN observers reach Syrian town where brutal assault was feared
Source: Agencies |
June 15, 2012, Friday
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A TEAM of United Nations observers entered the Syrian town of Haffa yesterday after government troops seized the area, near the Mediterranean coast, back from rebels after battles that raged for eight days.
The visit came hours after a suicide bomber detonated his van packed with explosives in a Damascus suburb, wounding 14 people and damaging one of Shiite Islam's holiest shrines, according to Syria's state-run news agency and witnesses.
Witnesses traveling with the UN team described scenes of heavy fighting and destruction in Haffa, including burned-out state buildings and a corpse on a deserted street.
The observers had been trying to get into the town for a week after fears were raised that a brutal assault was under way.
The mountain enclave has been the site of intense clashes between government forces and hundreds of rebels.
On Tuesday, an angry crowd hurled rocks and sticks at the UN mission's vehicles near Haffa, forcing them to turn back.
Authorities then said on Wednesday that they had "cleansed" the area of "armed terrorist groups" and urged UN observers to head there "to check what the terrorist groups have done."
The observers stopped by torched buildings belonging to the ruling Baath party's local branch as well as the burned courthouse, post office and other government institutions, according to the witnesses.
Car bombs and suicide bombings have become increasingly common in Syria as the 15-month uprising against President Bashar Assad becomes increasingly militarized. Most have targeted security buildings and police buses, symbols of Assad's regime.
It was not immediately clear whether yesterday's bomber in the Sayyida Zainab suburb of Damascus intended to target the Shiite shrine or a police station just 15 meters away.
As the violence grows more chaotic, it is difficult to assign blame for much of the bloodshed.
Western officials say there is little doubt that Islamist extremists, some associated with al-Qaida, have made inroads in Syria as instability has spread.
Witnesses said the bomber detonated an explosives-packed vehicle that he drove into a parking lot about 50 meters from the shrine despite efforts by guards to stop him.
The blast shattered the shrine's windows, knocked down chandeliers and electric ceiling fans and cracked some of its mosaic walls.
Parts from the vehicle detonated by the suicide bomber were found inside the shrine's sprawling complex.
Tens of thousands of Shiite pilgrims from around the world converge on Sayyida Zainab every year.
It was the latest of Syria's religious, cultural and architectural treasures to suffer from the violence engulfing the country, including churches and mosques, citadels and architectural ruins.
Sheik Sayyed Mojtaba al-Husseini, the representative in Syria of Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, accused "terrorists" of the bombing.
"This is not a revolution, it is a fake reality imported by some Arab leaders who are agents of the West," al-Husseini said.
SANA news agency said 14 people were wounded in the explosion. Six tourist buses and more than 30 cars and a small police bus also were damaged.
Meanwhile, troops continued to pound rebel-controlled areas in Homs yesterday, while rebels reportedly clashed with government forces in several other parts of the country.
The visit came hours after a suicide bomber detonated his van packed with explosives in a Damascus suburb, wounding 14 people and damaging one of Shiite Islam's holiest shrines, according to Syria's state-run news agency and witnesses.
Witnesses traveling with the UN team described scenes of heavy fighting and destruction in Haffa, including burned-out state buildings and a corpse on a deserted street.
The observers had been trying to get into the town for a week after fears were raised that a brutal assault was under way.
The mountain enclave has been the site of intense clashes between government forces and hundreds of rebels.
On Tuesday, an angry crowd hurled rocks and sticks at the UN mission's vehicles near Haffa, forcing them to turn back.
Authorities then said on Wednesday that they had "cleansed" the area of "armed terrorist groups" and urged UN observers to head there "to check what the terrorist groups have done."
The observers stopped by torched buildings belonging to the ruling Baath party's local branch as well as the burned courthouse, post office and other government institutions, according to the witnesses.
Car bombs and suicide bombings have become increasingly common in Syria as the 15-month uprising against President Bashar Assad becomes increasingly militarized. Most have targeted security buildings and police buses, symbols of Assad's regime.
It was not immediately clear whether yesterday's bomber in the Sayyida Zainab suburb of Damascus intended to target the Shiite shrine or a police station just 15 meters away.
As the violence grows more chaotic, it is difficult to assign blame for much of the bloodshed.
Western officials say there is little doubt that Islamist extremists, some associated with al-Qaida, have made inroads in Syria as instability has spread.
Witnesses said the bomber detonated an explosives-packed vehicle that he drove into a parking lot about 50 meters from the shrine despite efforts by guards to stop him.
The blast shattered the shrine's windows, knocked down chandeliers and electric ceiling fans and cracked some of its mosaic walls.
Parts from the vehicle detonated by the suicide bomber were found inside the shrine's sprawling complex.
Tens of thousands of Shiite pilgrims from around the world converge on Sayyida Zainab every year.
It was the latest of Syria's religious, cultural and architectural treasures to suffer from the violence engulfing the country, including churches and mosques, citadels and architectural ruins.
Sheik Sayyed Mojtaba al-Husseini, the representative in Syria of Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, accused "terrorists" of the bombing.
"This is not a revolution, it is a fake reality imported by some Arab leaders who are agents of the West," al-Husseini said.
SANA news agency said 14 people were wounded in the explosion. Six tourist buses and more than 30 cars and a small police bus also were damaged.
Meanwhile, troops continued to pound rebel-controlled areas in Homs yesterday, while rebels reportedly clashed with government forces in several other parts of the country.
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