Bombing in Damascus

At least 13 killed, dozens injured in Damascus car bombing amid UN peace envoy visit

At least 13 people have been killed and 29 injured as a powerful blast hit outside a police station in Bab Touma neighborhood in the old part of Damascus, reports the state news agency. It comes as Lakhdar Brahimi visits the Syrian capital for talks.

RT,

21 October, 2012

Smoke rose above what were believed to be twin car bomb explosions in front of a police station, witnesses said. Other reports suggest it was a taxi rigged with explosives.

Ambulances were seen rushing to the scene as police shut access to the area, Twitter user NMSyria says.

At least 13 people were killed by the blast, SANA reported citing sources in the Interior Ministry. But given that the area is usually crowded, there are fears the death toll could be much higher. It is also unclear whether any police staff are among those dead or injured.

Dozens of cars were burnt and many houses sustained extensive damage. 

The area was busy at the time of the explosion, with people returning from Sunday prayers. Bab Touma is a predominantly Christian neighborhood. It is also a popular shopping place in Damascus. 

Two more bombings were reported to have occurred in Syria on Sunday. An explosive device, planted “by terrorists”, detonated on a road in the capital’s neighborhood, injuring several passers-by. A suicide bomber blew up his car outside a Syrian-French Hospital in the besieged city of Aleppo. The latter instance resulted in material damage only, SANA said.

Syrians dousing a car following a bomb explosion outside a police station in a Christian quarter of Damascus' Old City on October 21, 2012. (AFP Photo / SANA)

Meanwhile, the UN-Arab League peace envoy Lakhdar Brahimi arrived in Damascus on Sunday for talks. The envoy met with President Bashar al-Assad in a bid to implement a ceasefire by next week, when the Muslim festival of Eid al-Adha begins.

“I appeal to everyone to take a unilateral decision to cease hostilities on the occasion of Eid al-Adha and that this truce be respected from today or tomorrow,” Brahimi told reporters in Damascus after meeting with Assad on Sunday.

Brahimi had previously met with Syrian opposition groups inside and outside the country. He said that while he "found an overwhelming response" from Assad's opponents to his cease-fire plan, he only received "promises" without "commitment".

The peace envoy did not reveal Assad's response to his plan. But SANA news agency says Assad assured Brahimi that he supported his mission: "The president said he is open to any sincere effort to find a political solution to the crisis on the basis of respecting the Syrian sovereignty and rejecting foreign interference."

Assad also stressed that a political solution must be "based on the principle of halting terrorism, a commitment from the countries involved in supporting, arming and harboring terrorists in Syria to stop doing such acts," the state news agency reported.

Whether Assad has in fact committed to the peace plan remains unclear, however.

Officials in Damascus blame the popular uprising that began in March of last year on a foreign conspiracy. They say the revolt against the government is an insurgency headed by "terrorists" who infiltrated the country from across the border.

The UN estimates the conflict in Syria has left over 20,000 people dead, while various opposition groups claim the death toll now stands at 33,000. Over 340,000 refugees have fled the country.

Libya

US prepares to strike Libyan militia suspected in Benghazi attack

The US military and intelligence agencies are preparing to capture and kill militants involved in the attack on the US consulate in Libya, despite the Libyan government’s demand that no foreigners will fight on their country’s land.

RT,

2 October, 2012

The top-secret Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) is currently gathering information on the attack that killed a US ambassador and three other Americans, planning to launch drone strikes or raids against the suspects, the New York Times reportes.

“They are putting together information on where these individuals live, who their family members and their associates are, and their entire pattern of life,” an unnamed American official told the news organization.

While President Barack Obama has not yet ordered strikes on suspects, the JSOC is preparing what senior military officials call “target packages” in the case that he does make the order.

 

“Make no mistake, justice will be done,” the president said last month, making a promise to take action against the consulate’s attackers.

The dossiers come at a time when the Obama administration has faced criticism for its failure to accurately describe the cause of the attack. While the White House claimed the killings were a violent response to an anti-Muslim YouTube video, the attack was later determined to have been a terrorist attack planned for the Sept. 11 anniversary. The administration has also been condemned for providing inadequate security at a site that already had fears of rising terrorism.

But as the US contemplates administering drone strikes and raids, it may harm relations with Libya.

Strikes against the suspected attackers would require the US military to enter Libyan territory against the wishes of the national government. While Libyan Prime Minister Mustafa Abu Shagur called the assault on the US consulate “a cowardly, criminal and terrorist attack,” he said extremists in the country were a small minority that does “not number more than 100 or 150.” The prime minister expressed his opposition to having any foreign troops on Libyan soil.

“We will not accept anyone entering inside Libya,” he said. “That would infringe on sovereignty and we will refuse.”

Aside from 50 additional US Marines sent to guard the US embassy in Tripoli and two other diplomatic residences, Shagur said he would not tolerate more US troops entering the country. 

The potential situation in Libya closely resembles US actions in Pakistan. The US has often faced criticism for violating Pakistan’s sovereignty by entering Federally Administered Tribal Regions (FATA) without permission. In June, Pakistan condemned the US for administering drone strikes on its territory, killing 27 people in just three strikes. The foreign ministry considers these kinds of attacks, which go against the wishes of the national government, illegal.

While infringing on the country’s sovereignty, the CIA-led drone campaign and raids also fuels anti-American sentiment, leading to further civilian deaths. The US has now damaged relations with its former ally, which causes speculation whether the situation Libya could become a second Pakistan.