A neighborhood in southern Damascus was hit by a double bombing on Thursday morning that left dozens of people dead. The bombs exploded near a security headquarters at a major intersection next to the southern district of al-Qazzaz (القزاز). Syria’s state news agency blamed the bombings on terrorists, broadcasting video of charred and dismembered bodies. The power of the blasts can be judged from the video (below), which caught the second explosion from 2km away. Full story:http://stryfl.com/qu9
استيقظت دمشق صباح الخميس 10-5-2012 على انفجارين قويين جدا هزا المنطقة اللهم عليك بالمجرم السفاح
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BEIRUT (Reuters) - Two explosions shook the Syrian capital Damascus on Thursday killing and wounding dozens of people, state media said, in a district that houses a military intelligence complex invol..
Two suicide blasts rocked the Syrian capital today, killing 55 people and leaving scenes of carnage in the streets in the deadliest bombing since the country's uprising began 14 months ago.
The blasts in the al-Qazzaz suburb of Damascus injured another 370 people and damaged a military intelligence building involved in President Bashar al-Assad's crackdown on pro-democracy protests, according to the Interior Ministry, which is in charge of the country's internal security.
After visiting the scene of this morning's carnage, Major General Robert Mood, the Norwegian head of the United Nations observer team in the country, said the Syrian people did not deserve this 'terrible violence'.
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Scene of carnage: Extraordinary aerial images released by the state-run Syrian Arab News Agency show some of the destruction caused by explosions in Damascus
Devastating: Two blasts struck Damascus during morning rush hour, killing more than 40 people and injuring dozens
'It is not going to solve any problems,' he said, when asked what his message was to those who are carrying out such attacks.
'It is only going to create more suffering for women and children.'
The explosions, said to have ripped the facade off a military intelligence building, happened at about 7:50 am local time (0500 GMT), when employees usually arrive at work.
The building is part of a broader military compound for a feared section of the intelligence services known as the Palestine Branch.
Syrian foreign ministry spokesman Jihad Makdissi posted a message on his Facebook page urging people to go to hospitals to donate blood, saying that today's blast 'might be the strongest' of a wave of explosions that have hit Damascus since late December.
The explosions left two craters at the gate of the military compound, one of them 3m (10ft) deep and 6m (20 feet) wide.
Residents said there was initially a smaller blast, quickly followed by a much bigger one.
'The house shook like it was an earthquake,' said housewife Maha Hijazi, who appeared shaken as she stood outside her house across the street from the targeted compound.
Blasts: Flames and smoke rise from burning cars following today's rush-hour explosions
Eyewitnesses reported seeing smouldering cars and pickup trucks after the explosions and the grisly sight of medical workers collecting human remains.
The outer wall of the military intelligence building collapsed, although the structure inside appeared intact.
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The Syrian government, which blamed 'terrorists', said the explosives used weighed more than 1,000 kilograms (2,200 pounds).
Central Damascus is tightly under the control of forces loyal to al-Assad, but has been struck by several bomb attacks, often targeting security installations or convoys.
Victim: Syrian civilians help a man injured in today's explosions in Damascus
A previous explosion in the capital on April 27 occurred when a suicide bomber detonated an explosives belt near members of the security forces, killing at least nine people and wounding 26.
Syria's conflict started in March 2011 with mass protests calling for political reform.
The government swiftly cracked down, dispatching tanks, troops, snipers and pro-government thugs to quash dissent, and many members of the opposition took up arms to defend themselves and attack government troops.
There has not yet been any claim of responsibility for this morning's blasts, but an al-Qaeda-inspired group has said it was behind several past explosions; raising fears that terrorist groups are entering the fray and exploiting the chaos.
The British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said at least one of the explosions was caused by a car bomb and that the target was buildings in the area's military intelligence complex.
Opposition to al-Assad, which began with peaceful protests in March last year, has grown increasingly violent and UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said this week he was worried by an 'alarming upsurge' in bombings.
The UN says Syrian forces have killed more than 9,000 people in their crackdown on a 14-month uprising.
But Syrian authorities blame foreign-backed Islamist militants for the violence, saying they have killed 2,600 soldiers and police.
A UN brokered ceasefire was supposed to come into force four weeks ago but, despite an initial drop in the level of violence, the bloodshed has continued.
Activists say government forces have shelled several cities and rebels have maintained attacks on security forces.
Today's blasts came a day after Ban Ki-moon told the UN General Assembly of his concerns about an increase in bomb attacks in Syria.
Desperate: Civilians and security personnel try to remove a car from an explosion site
'There is no escaping the reality that we see every day,' he said.
'Innocent civilians dying, government troops and heavy armour in city streets, growing numbers of arrests and allegations of brutal torture, an alarming upsurge in the use of IEDs [improvised explosive devices] and other explosive devices throughout the country.'
Aftermath: A body is removed from a blast site
International diplomacy has failed to stop the bloodshed, but the UN has ruled out military intervention like that which helped bring down Libya's Colonel Gaddafi, partly out of fear it could increase the violence.
Yesterday, a roadside bomb hit a Syrian military truck in a southern province just seconds after the head of the UN observer team was driving by in a convoy, demonstrating the fragility of the international plan to end the country's bloodshed.
In Washington, meanwhile, President Barack Obama took steps to extend sanctions against al-Assad's government, saying Syria poses an 'unusual and extraordinary threat' to US national security and diplomatic goals.
Yesterday, a roadside bomb hit a Syrian military truck in a southern province just seconds after the head of the UN observer team was driving by in a convoy, demonstrating the fragility of the international plan to end the country's bloodshed.
In Washington, meanwhile, President Barack Obama took steps to extend sanctions against al-Assad's government, saying Syria poses an 'unusual and extraordinary threat' to US national security and diplomatic goals.
Stunned: Syrian security officials and emergency workers inspect craters left in the aftermath of explosions, which damaged a military intelligence building (right)
VIDEO: Syrian State TV have released aerial footage of the devastated area
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