Damascus hit by deadly explosions
The state-run station blamed terrorists for the blasts, which were in the Qazaz area, where a Syrian intelligence agency has its headquarters. The explosions occurred at about 7.50am local time on Thursday during the rush hour, according to the state news agency Sana.
Videos posted online showed a plume of thick black smoke rising above Qazaz , in the south-west of the city. Syrian TV showed graphic pictures of corpses and body parts on the ground, as well as gutted vehicles. People worked to free bodies from the wreckage of vehicles and to extinguish blazes, the Guardian reports.
One resident, who said he got within 100m of one of the blasts before being turned back by security forces, told Reuters he saw broken glass on the street and women crying. Nearby schools sent children home for the day. Another resident said police had closed off the Kfar Souseh district, which houses a military intelligence complex, and were firing automatic rifles in the air.
Central Damascus is under the control of forces loyal to Bashar al-Assad but has been struck by several bomb attacks, often targeting security installations or convoys. The last major explosion in the capital occurred on 27 April when a suicide bomber detonated an explosives belt near members of the security forces, killing at least nine people and wounding 26 others.
State media frequently use the term "terrorists" to describe opposition fighters, when reporting attacks. Some elements within the opposition have accused government forces of fabricating attacks or even carrying them out themselves to discredit the uprising against Assad.
The UN said weeks ago that more than 9,000 people had been killed since the uprising began in March 2011. Hundreds more have died since, according to opposition activists. A ceasefire brokered by the UN-Arab League envoy Kofi Annan began about a month ago but numerous violations have been reported on both sides . The Local Co-ordination Committees activist group claims more than 1,000 people have been killed by the security forces since the ceasefire was supposed to take effect.
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