Damascus Explosion Kills 25
An explosion in Damascus has left 25 dead and 46 injured, according to reports from Syria’s State News Agency (SANA). The explosion is believed to be the work of a single suicide bomber and is the latest in three bombings the past two months.
SANA television reports said, “Immediate information indicates that a suicide terrorist blew himself up at a traffic light in the Maidan neighborhood. There are dozens of dead and wounded, mostly civilians.”
It has been two weeks since the dual bombings in Syria killed 44 people, which many believed to be the work of government officials. President Bashar al-Assad’s regime flatly denied those rumors and blamed members of al-Qaida for the Dec. 23 bombings.
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Arab League monitors arrived in Syria on Dec. 24 in order to begin their mission of observation; their work is part of a peace treaty arranged by the League in order to ensure the cessation of violence and release of political prisoners. It has been reported that the government has pulled its forces out of domestic areas and released over 3,000 prisoners.
The monitors have been under constant attack since their arrival, facing snipers and mass violence from resistant regimes. Nabil Elaraby, Arab League Secretary General, has asked for help from Palestinian’s Hamas leader. “I gave him a message today to the Syrian authorities that it is necessary to work with integrity, transparency and credibility to halt the violence that is happening in Syria,” Elaraby announced.
He added, “The observers are striving to realize this situation: to realize a halt to the violence; to realize the release of the detained, to realize the withdrawal of the (military) vehicles. Therefore, there is work.”
Khaled Meshaal, head of Hamas, appeared with Elaraby to offer the joint statement. He promised support, saying, “Since the start of the crisis, we in Hamas and myself personally, have made a huge effort to solve the crisis through a political solution, and we have kept up these efforts.”
The United Nations reports that over 5,000 Syrians have been killed since the uprising began in March 2011.
