Syria Says 40 Dead in Capital Suicide Blasts, Opposition Blames Regime
إقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربية
Suicide bombers hit two security service bases in Damascus on Friday, killing at least 40 people, in attacks the regime blamed on al-Qaida but which the opposition said were the work of the regime itself.
The bombings, which officials blamed on al-Qaida, were the first attacks against Syria's powerful security services in the heart of the capital since the uprising began and overshadowed new protests against President Bashar al-Assad's regime.
"The new toll for the two attacks today is established at 40 dead and 150 injured," foreign ministry spokesman Jihad Makdissi told Agence France Presse.
One bomber tried to ram a vehicle packed with explosives into the compound of the General Security Directorate, Syria's most important plain-clothes security service, in the Kfar Suseh neighborhood of Damascus, witnesses said.
A second blew up a vehicle outside a nearby military intelligence building.
State television showed pictures of a huge crater at one of the bomb sites and pools of blood on surrounding pavements.
Bystanders were seen carrying away charred and mangled bodies wrapped in makeshift shrouds.
"On the first day after the arrival of the Arab observers, this is the gift we get from the terrorists and al-Qaida but we are going to do all we can to facilitate the Arab League mission," Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal Meqdad told reporters at one of the bomb sites.
"We said it from the beginning, this is terrorism. They are killing the army and civilians," Meqdad added.
Asked to comment on suggestions that the bombings had been engineered by the regime itself, Meqdad shot back: "Anyone who makes such allegations is a criminal."
The opposition group, the Syrian National Council, made just such a claim.
"The Syrian regime, alone, bears all the direct responsibility for the two terrorist explosions," said an SNC statement received by Agence France Presse.
"It wanted to send a warning message to the observers for them not to approach security centers."
The regime is trying to give the world the impression "that it faces danger coming from abroad and not a popular revolution demanding freedom and dignity," the statement added.
The SNC also accused the regime of having transferred "thousands of prisoners (who were being held in jails) to fortified military barracks," to which the observers would not have access.
Earlier on Friday, Omar Idilbi, an SNC member and the spokesman of the Local Coordination Committees, called the explosions "very mysterious because they happened in heavily guarded areas that are difficult to be penetrated by a car."
"The presence of the Arab League advance team of observers pushed the regime to give this story in order to scare the committee from moving around Syria," he said, though he stopped short of accusing the regime in the blasts.
"The second message is an attempt to make the Arab League and international public opinion believe that Syria is being subjected to acts of terrorism by members of al-Qaida," Idilbi added.
Assad’s main Lebanese ally Hizbullah accused "terrorist" Washington of orchestrating the attacks.
The party said such bombings are "the specialty of the United States", which is seeking revenge for its "defeat" in Iraq, days after its forces completed their withdrawal from the country.
For his part, Lebanese President Michel Suleiman condemned the blasts as "terrorist attacks" and said they were aimed at disrupting the Arab League's efforts to resolve the crisis.
Syria's deputy foreign minister was accompanied to the bomb site by Arab League Assistant Secretary General Samir Seif al-Yazal, head of the observer mission's advance team that flew in on Thursday.
Yazal offered his condolences to the families of the dead.
"What has happened is regrettable but the important thing is that everyone stay calm," he told reporters.
"We are going to press on with our work. We have started today, and tomorrow (Saturday) we will meet (Foreign Minister) Walid Muallem."
Yazal heads a nine-strong team which is making the necessary logistical arrangements for the arrival of a first 30 observers on Sunday. The mission will eventually number between 150 and 200.
The mission is part of an Arab plan endorsed by Syria on November 2 that also calls for the withdrawal of the military from towns and residential districts, a halt to violence against civilians and the release of detainees.
The Syrian foreign minister has said he expects the Arab observers to vindicate his government's contention that the unrest is the work of "armed terrorists," not overwhelmingly peaceful protesters as maintained by Western governments and human rights watchdogs.
State news agency SANA said Thursday that more than 2,000 security force personnel had been killed in attacks by armed rebels.
But opposition leaders have charged that Syria's agreement to the mission after weeks of prevarication was a mere "ploy" to head off a threat by the Arab League to go to the U.N. Security Council over a crackdown, which the world body says has left more than 5,000 people dead since March.
There was no let-up in the bloodshed on Friday with human rights activists reporting at least 12 civilians killed by security force fire.
The opposition Syrian National Council charged on Wednesday that regime forces had killed 250 people in 48 hours in the run-up to the observer advance team's arrival.
23 December 2011, 11:50
426
that or:
The west: hmmm Syria is starting to cooperate, this could end up not as dramatic as we had hoped it would and could cool things down, lets heat things up again a little, ok what do we do...
hey do as we always have done hire a few of our boys in Qaida and mercenaries they did pretty well in Lebanon, could start doing well in the Damascus as well, cause chaos and let the holding elitists start feeling it on their skin in the heartland.
Ok lets go ahead with that for now, and remember we need more chaos, divide and conquer from within at all cost! we got the usual suspects lined up for puppet regime replacement and its getting late for my supper.
23 December 2011, 12:13
341
oh well, our esteemed minister of defense did warn that AL Qaeda is infiltrating and is up to something. See, he was right.......!!! I am impressed, really impressed!!!!
23 December 2011, 12:21
342
3 minutes ago Syria state television: Security forces arrested a suspect in the Damascus bombings.
Poor suspect....... he is going to be another Abou Adas.
23 December 2011, 13:02
324
Al Qaeda could care less about Syria, this is ridiculous and so convenient
23 December 2011, 13:09
328
that is:
The Regime: hmmm we're pretending to start to cooperate after 9 month, if our ploy is discovered this could end up very dramatically and not as good as we had hoped it would and could put more pressure on us, lets heat things up again a little, OK what do we do...
Hey do as we've always done hire a few of our boys in Qaida and mercenaries they did pretty well in Lebanon and in Iraq, could start doing well in the Damascus as well, cause chaos and scare the restless holding elitists in the heartland in staying behind the regime.
OK lets go ahead with that for now, and remember we need more chaos, divide and conquer from within at all cost, worked in Lebanon! we got the usual suspects lined up for our murderous bloody regime support. Hey it could work it worked with the US embassy attack while mukhararat watched or the regime encouraged burnings of the Scandinavian missions, what else can we do Mu3allem's fake videos backfired and Bashar's Baba Wawa interview was a disasters!
23 December 2011, 13:13
320
I bet our esteemed minister of defense will inform us that AL Qaeda infiltrated back into Syria and blew themselves up in Damascus. See, him tap dance.......!!! I am impressed, really impressed he does very well for a big man!!!!
23 December 2011, 13:15
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ImmAddas it least they did not claim to arrest the suspect before the bombing, synchronicity at last.
23 December 2011, 13:15
323
Security forces are so efficient that they arrested a suspect 1 hour after the attack!! how come they never knew they had so many "terrorsits" ..In case all these "terrorists" appeared suddenly out of nowhere???
23 December 2011, 13:21
317
The Syrian regime is really challenging our thinking too much as if we don't know who planted these bombs which certainly were not done by Al Qaeda as mentioned by the Syrian regime's TV station. How twisted the mind of this Assad is in continually killing his own people for this stupid throne that's shaking underneath his feet day after day. If he really thinks he still could govern his people after all these killings he's really away from reality. I also surmise his fate now is closer than ever to that of Gaddafi. Once the opposition prevail, they will dig him and his gang from under ground and take the hell out of him. His family will also be chased after and either killed or imprisoned for life because of a fault of not of their making.
It's so stupid to believe that sustainability of this regime could be achieved by using tactics like these which the two Assads (father and son( used to kill many people in Lebanon and prevail through their machines of deceat.
23 December 2011, 13:21
319
they use the same old recipes all dictatorships used in the past, how predictable! who do they want to fool?
23 December 2011, 13:40
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they use the same old recipes . used in the past in lebanon, how predictable! who do they want to fool?
.
23 December 2011, 13:43
314
Faysal Mekdad has given the toll while accompanying an advance team of Arab League observers to the scene of the blasts... Nice stunt.. 'nuff said!
23 December 2011, 13:56
337
Hold on, let me get this one right: Al Qaeda waited 10 months to carry out these terror attacks in Damascus, and it so happened on the first day of the arrival of the Arab monitors who were accompanied by Meqdad to the scene of the explosion as he proclaimed " We said it from the beginning....". Am I missing something here...??????????
23 December 2011, 14:10
322
Ironic- remember infijar Sin El fil. remember infijar antelias. remember infijar ....
What goes around comes around.
I am not sure if you have noticed,but each and every country or regime that had anything to do with the Lebanese civil war killing innocent people or sending mercenaries to Lebanon has paid, is paying or will be paying the price.
More is yet to come.
23 December 2011, 14:39
02
Bravo Bashar
for 9 months people were demonstrating peacefully and you have kept shooting at them and commiting a slaughtering after the other even in the hospitals.
Don't you understand that apart from your Alawis and some members of other sects that you bought SYRIAN DO NOT WANT YOU
I do no't blame people for falling in Al Qaida trap, even an animal would want to retaliate after what you did.
Compared to your end the one of Khadaffi will be sweat.
23 December 2011, 14:47
00
Don't you boys think someone should ask the Defense Minister to reveal publically his sources and explain how the activities of al-Qaida were uncovered just in case the Syrian regime is behind this atrocity? In civil courts, he can be charged of being an accomplice of crimes against humanity!
Now, what are the chances the opposition did negotiate to get some sick mercenaries from al-Qaida to topple the regime? Or what if al-Qaida decided to weaken the regime in an effort to extend its influence in the Arab world?
23 December 2011, 14:48
435
Regardless of who did this bombing, I can't but feel relieved that a security Bldg was own up!! Imagine how many innocent Lebanese and Syrians among others used to get tortured, humiliated and killed. The Baathists regime is getting back what they had patented for so long in the region and specially in our beloved Lebanon...
23 December 2011, 14:58
00
Crap I missed it by that much! Just over an hour ago I predicted it would be our esteemed minister of defense that would warn but it was the Syrian foreign ministry seven minutes later that did it instead:
"Lebanon warned Damascus that al-Qaida members have infiltrated Syria from Lebanese territories."
23 December 2011, 15:01
332
Mowaten... These are Baathists security agents and probably few of your own hizbullah members.. See that's why I am happy.. Good day today.. Keep the good news coming until the Baathists regime along with hizbullah vanish!!
23 December 2011, 15:05
04
The Syrians had plenty of practice in Lebanon for over 30 years
23 December 2011, 15:06
50
you are all so blinded by the past and present of what has happened in Leb that you'll do everything and support anything blindly in a sick twist of vengeance to see the regime fall, and if it does and Muslim brotherhood takes over with alqaida on the side blowing up market places like in Iraq and soon in Libya and Egypt day to day in the struggle for power and corruption and sectarian genocides left and right, only then will you realize if you do, that not only this waste-bag will spill over to lebanon by the masses but the advocate you wanted to see so desperately gone is now replaced by the devil himself and it will be too late.
23 December 2011, 15:09
01
mowaten, has anyone figured out who blew up the Sayidat al Najat Church in Zouk with all the innocent Lebanese that you forgot to shed a tear for, they were Christians so they probably did not deserve your tears. I know the Syrians through Jamil Sayyed tried and failed to pin it on the LF. As a result they were able to outlaw the only remaining representative independent Christian party, forgot all about the bombing but got to continue their witch hunt. I heard that the plotter of the bomb relocated to a nice villa in a posh Damascus neighborhood, he does good work I wonder if he had a hand in today's.
23 December 2011, 15:17
02
Another story by the terrorist regime...time is up for assad and his thugs....40 yrs of syria oppression and killing.... isnt it humiliating for all syrian intellectuals and free minds that only 1 man or family can rule a country....what comes around goes around...all the bad things they did to lebanon and lebanese...they are paying for...hopefully assad will send a plane and take aoun and with him
23 December 2011, 15:24
00
neon, how many Arab nationalists, Somalis, Libyan, Sudanese etc, came to Lebanon 75-76 to help slaughter Christians thinking they were in Israel fighting Jews? Not much is needed to get a rabid fundamentalist to kill himself for the wrong reasons. The Syrian were able to convince so many of them to go to Iraq and kill Iraqis thinking they were fighting crusaders. The Ayatollah also convinced so many of them that the plastic keys he supplied them with will open heaven's door as they went on their merry way over the Iraqi mine fields, sheep were more valuable to Khomeini that they were.
23 December 2011, 15:31
316
a rat cannot hide a camel
we can see the camel
try another one for the sake of the Assad family
audience are after fresh ideas
23 December 2011, 15:41
16
Whoever did that (It might be Qaida, it might be the syrian regime) may all the dead rest in peace...
23 December 2011, 15:50
321
Mowaten you should be happy:) it could've happened when you & your hezzi's were out there. you should consider yourself lucky for now.. but your time is comming soon take one way ticket to Iran it's a lot safer there for now.
23 December 2011, 15:52
323
First it is obvious that if assad had stepped down none of this would have happened.
These methods that kill innocent people are the trademark of the friends of iran and syria who have spread chaos and death in Iraq and other parts of the world.
These bombings could be the result of either:
-extremists who are trying to dominate the syrian scene and spread terror against the regime
or
-The regime trying to scare the Arabs, Israel and the West of the possibility of extremists taking over Syria.
in either cases people are dying and stability in the whole region is threatened.
23 December 2011, 16:10
29
bombimgs and massacres, either by this regime or others, leaves behind a lot of grief. we experienced so much of those ourselves, and usually innocent people are the ones who are targetted.
I can only express condoleances to the families of the fallen.
23 December 2011, 16:20
324
the filthy zionist information war department is trying to somehow blame syrian regime for what their muslim brotherhood mercenaries did.
23 December 2011, 16:21
323
The syrian opposition are salafist wahhabi terrorist thugs. God bless the Syrian army in crushing these terrorists.
23 December 2011, 16:28
293
ثورة سلمية سلمية و انفجارا اليوم اللذان أوقعا شهداء مدنيين و عسكريين في المقرات الأمنية سلميان سلميان.
23 December 2011, 16:31
01
This is like Ghazi Kanaan's suicide - self inflicted. the regime needs a reason to scare the west of an immenent Islamist take over if the current regime fails. Booshar's mafia is alive and well
23 December 2011, 16:58
01
So if I understand what happened correctly, a brace of suicide bombers blew up a couple of security forces bases in Damascus, then the Syrian security forces arrested suspects. Turns out they were the al-Qaeda members who previously had secretly infiltrated from Syria into Lebanon but upon hearing that our defense minister Ghosn had spotted them made an about face and high tailed it back to Syrian and got to Damascus in time to put a show for an advance team of Arab League observers accompanied by Faysal Mekdad and all this inside of twenty minutes. What is this a sitcom! All that's missing is for Shawn and Gus to show up with a pineapple.
23 December 2011, 18:09
00
I bet that the advance team of Arab League observers did not expect to start swinging so early in the game, Walid Mualem filled the pool before they got a chance to put their swim trunks on.
23 December 2011, 18:09
03
Sah'thain....The Syrians are tasting the same way they destroyed Lebanon...what goes around, really and truly, comes around...enjoy...
23 December 2011, 18:11
01
thepatriot, the f_i was just released from the Roumieh prison after serving his sentence for "a crime he did not commit", but they kept his motorbike.
23 December 2011, 19:04
01
Mountain of Head Lice (Jabal Amel): Back from your last indoctrination trip? I thought that, after your long disappearance, you would have come back with new and creative ideas on how to insult everyone on this forum. I see that all of that time you spent at indoctrination camp was wasted.
23 December 2011, 19:13
01
Mountain of Head Lice: Back from indoctrination camp? After your very long absence, we had all hoped that you would have learned fresh and creative ways to insult us. Your latest salvo of hateful insults indicates that all of this time you spent at indoctrination camp was a waste.
23 December 2011, 21:15
17
This is classic ghawar/abu3antar act on part of the Syrian regime. They even brought dead bodies from the jabal zawyie massacres. No one in his right mind buys this, bombings on the FIRST DAY of the observers work!!? how pathetic and disconnected is the regime!? even the russians won't buy this one and can not sell it either. Only naieve brainwashed people like the nazi suni-hater mowaten buys this. the good news is that this is another proof that the regime is actually SINKING
23 December 2011, 21:20
25
This reminds me of the ABU ADDAS STORY!!! Who agrees with me lol?!?!
23 December 2011, 21:23
15
BTW everyone, these explosions would prevent the "observers" from visiting those two mukhabarat torture chambers and find out what is happening to the victims there, i wana bet money that all these "dead bodies" are people already dead in those chambers from torture, these explosions hit so many birds with one stone. Mowaten, start thinking and quit your nazi hate for the suni syrians.
23 December 2011, 21:40
26
hey sweating, how do you know it was "suicide"??? remember there is no independent press there and all we know is the government side of the story.. remember the Abu addas story and watch some ghawar. This was such a cheap stunt from the regime, and the two sites are notorious torture chambers i.e. the explosions would prevent the observers from inspecting.
23 December 2011, 23:57
27
So if I understand what happened correctly, a brace of suicide bombers blew up a couple of security forces bases in Damascus, then the Syrian security forces arrested suspects. Turns out they were the al-Qaeda members who previously had secretly infiltrated from Syria into Lebanon but upon hearing that our defense minister Ghosn had spotted them made an about face and high tailed it back to Syrian and got to Damascus in time to put a show for an advance team of Arab League observers accompanied by Faysal Mekdad and all this inside of twenty minutes. What is this a sitcom! All that's missing is for Shawn and Gus to show up with a pineapple.
24 December 2011, 00:39
120
Guys, this is a link to a video of AL ZAWAHIRI calling to join forces of mujahideen and martyrs for the cause of uprising in Damascus. It was August when it has been posted, almost 5 months ago. You Lebanese (I am not) can understand better the fatwa of this saint man. Looks "like the glory of east begins in Damascus". Bombs arrived in Damascus few months after this video. Maybe the time needed to send in martyrs and prepare such a violent double attack? How can so many people strive to defend al Qaeda?
24 December 2011, 01:14
51
Was the lousy Jordanian regime responsible for the suicide bombings at the hotels in Amman a few years ago? Was the Iraqi government responsible for all the suicide bombings (or was it done by Americans) in Iraq? The lousy Syrian opposition does not have support among the Syrian people, otherwise it would have spread to Halab and Damascus (Of course, the lousy Syrian regime does not have support among the majority of Syrians either).
24 December 2011, 01:20
01
How odd that precisely at this moment the Syrian regime is unable to stop bombings in Damascus after 10 months of protests and supposed terrorists roaming free in the thousands. Terrorists that appeared out of thin air apparently.
24 December 2011, 01:23
40
The Syrian security is to busy with opposition and the country is wide open for infiltration by Al Qaida, Mossad, CIA, and other terrorist organizations.
24 December 2011, 01:23
04
This must be the brother of Abu Adass, Abu Hummus who is behind this.
24 December 2011, 15:48
09
Sweating Donkey and ali hussein alias(John from Koura),stop loosing time on naharnet and go assist the syrian regime in raping women and babies...
You brainless bastards , i can't imagine how you can encourage these murderers and defend them ... The only imaginable reason is that your idiotic dad gets his monthly allowance(around 50 $ ) from the hezb and your affraid to loose it ... I will give them to you if this is the price of your pride and conscience....
25 December 2011, 13:54
12
The syrian moukhabarat are all over lebanon and know more than the lebanese what is going on in lebanon.nothing can happen in lebanon without the knowledge of assad. and they want us to beleive their lies?syrian propaganda is based on lies to buy time history can prove it. this type of bomb can only be made by the same people who killed Hariri. The area where the bomb expolded is a restricted area and not even a fly can enter. give me a f.. brake. the snake is swallowing its tale.
25 December 2011, 22:55
01
no one can tell,,,the perpetrator of the bombing might be one of the tortured prisoners who had been obliged to blow himself to show that activist planned the explosion?it coould be a fabricated issue,,,the syrian regime is good at it,,,
26 December 2011, 21:10
03
Casus Belli: The justification for acts of war.
Assad wanting to show the world that his administration is under attack,so he slaughters 40 of his own, a Casus Belli, to justify his acts of barbarism.
This is Pure Baath Theater signature and the world sees it as such..
