A suicide blast in the Syrian capital on Friday left over two dozen people dead, the country’s interior minister has confirmed. The explosion occurred at a traffic light in a heavily populated area of the Maidan district of Damascus. Footage and photos from the scene show body parts scattered across the area, pools of blood and damaged vehicles.
Interior Minister Ibrahim al-Shaar said the death toll stood at 26. At least 15 of the dead have not been identified because their bodies had been torn into pieces by the blast. Al-Shaar said 63 people were wounded. "We will strike back with an iron fist at anyone tempted to tamper with the security of the country or its citizens," he said.
No one has claimed responsibility for the attack, but opposition members have accused the government of orchestrating the explosion.
"The explosion in Damascus today is the work of the Syrian intelligence because they had information that a massive protest was planned in the al-Midan district," said Lt. Col. Mohamed Hamado of the Free Syrian Army (FSA). "The FSA does not conduct operations of that kind that may kill civilians, and we are in direct contact with Col. Riad al-Asaad, head of FSA, before executing any attack. We have confirmed information that the intelligence is funding and has formed units that perform terrorist operations under names of Islamic extremist groups and issue statements on the Internet, so that the government proves to the West that Islamic extremists are a threat and may take over if the regime is toppled."
###
Click here for more World News
