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DAMASCUS - A bomb that ripped through a police bus in Syria's capital killed 26 and wounded 63, the country's interior minister said, vowing an "iron fist" response to the carnage.
Interior Minister Ibrahim al-Shaar, quoted by state television, said 26 people had been killed in the blast in the Maidan district of Damascus, including 15 who could not be identified because their bodies had been shredded in the blast.
Several people have been killed in a bombing in Syria's capital. Msnbc.com's Dara Brown reports.
"We will strike back with an iron fist at anyone tempted to tamper with the security of the country or its citizens," he said.
He said that about 63 people had been wounded.
Updated at 6:59 a.m. ET
DAMASCUS -- An explosion ripped through a police bus in the center of Syria's capital Friday, killing at least 10 people in an attack authorities blamed on a suicide bomber, a Syrian official and state-run TV said.
However, Reuters reported that local news station Addounia put the death toll at 25. Addounia said 46 others were wounded.
Although the nearly 10-month-old uprising in Syria has convulsed many parts of the country, Damascus has been relatively quiet under the tight control of ruthless security agencies loyal to President Bashar Assad.
The government has long contended that the turmoil in Syria this year is not an uprising but the work of terrorists and foreign-backed armed gangs.
The opposition has questioned those allegations. It has hinted that the regime itself could have been behind a Dec. 23 bombing targeting the country's intelligence agencies. At least 44 people were killed and 166 others were injured in that attack.
Published at 5:47 a.m. ET: A suicide bomber killed and wounded dozens of people in central Damascus, Syrian state TV said Friday.
Footage broadcast by Syria Television showed the shattered windows of what appeared to be a police bus.
State TV said the explosion went off at an intersection in the neighborhood of Midan, while scores of people were in the area. It said most of the casualties were civilians.
Syria has banned most foreign journalists from the country and prevented independent reporting.
The explosion comes two weeks after two blasts in Damascus targeting security buildings killed 44 people.
A Syrian official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not allowed to talk publicly to the media, said the target of the attack appeared to be a bus carrying police officer.
"This is a criminal terrorist act," a man shouted in footage aired on Syria TV.
For months, President Bashar Assad has used tanks and troops to try to crush street protests inspired by other Arab uprisings.
According to the U.N., more than 5,000 people have been killed during the uprising against the Assad regime.
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The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.
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It's truly sad that, maybe for the first time I can think of, a "terrorist" attack (isn't almost everyone who fights against dictatorship and tyranny labeled a "terrrorist" by the same people who suppress, harass, arrest, torture, kill, or drive out people) that may actualyy be justified. There will never be an excuse for killing INNOCENT PEOPLE, but when the only choice a person has, or a society have, or a country has, or a people have, is to fight or be kiled, it becomes war. IN WWII, when we took on the most brutal regime the world has ever known, and since the world has known so many terrrible ones this is saying a lot, the NAZIs, mamy innocent, even good, people were hurt and killed. When it gets to that point, there is no choice. The US never officially and intentionally targeted civilians but when you drop bombs from miles up in the sky, it it common sense innocent people are getting killed. So, Assad started a way a long time ago. He thought he could suppress this with force, like every dictator in the mideast has forever. Not this time. He kept killing, arretsting, torturing, destroying, on top of marketing the whole thing with the word "terroists." Niow, there ARE terrorists. Now, he IS right. Good. Now Assad has an excuset to send his army and security forces everywhere to bomb and kill, BUT it just fuels the people WHO CAN AND WILL fight back. They will and they will win. And all the allies of Assad, Hezbellah, Hamas, Iran, Russia, & China will be licking their wounds. Thanks for making the United States and the west look good for a change.
Muslims have got to be the most disfunctional people on Earth. There's got to be a medical explanation for this chronic behavior.
If that is true then you should have no problem with Palestinians bombing Israelis
The latest- The Arab League Secretary General Nabil Elaraby has asked Hamas/Damascus-Syria/Amman-Jordan Chief Political Bureau to act by using its influence with Assad/Syrian g'ment as a MEDIATOR IN PEACEFUL DIALOGUE- read Alertnet and Haaretz.com. Its a small world after all . The Free Syrian Army in Turkey has no control over its own militias in Syria. Then there is the SNC (with foreign backing)- Turkey playing the role of Rick's Cafe in Casablanca.
JK, yes and the common denominator is Islam.
It is not a religion, it is a failed political ideology.
The solution to political problems isn't blowing up a bus load of innocent people. Even if those people are Syrians. Arab Spring is wonderful but Assad and his ilk won't step down without a fight.
JK: While I agree that Muslims are most disfunctional on earth even in 21st century!
Muslims believe in one-way streets!
Here Sunni Muslims are the worst. Most (about 80 percent) of world's Islamic radical and terrorist problems are due to Sunni Muslims.
Though Assad is compartively better than the most of the Sunni rulers of Saudi Arabia, UAE, Kuwait and many more, Sunni majority are not willing to tolerate their Shiite ruler.
Mind you: Christians and other infidels are safer in Assad's Syria than Sunni nations.
In Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and its puppets in Arab League joined hands with the most corrupt and despotic Bahrain minority Sunni ruler to crush the Shiites rebellion.
Here Assad should follow Sunni rulers and give "iron fist" replies to those opposing him.
I like how you slipped in the "Christians & other infidels" part - real smooth. Ironically, I believe you, in that it does seem that Christians enjoy a bit more security under a brutal dictator. Same with Saddam and Mubarak. As an infidel, I hope the Christians hang in there long enough until all Sunnis & Shiites kill each other off.
Its kind of funny that a country that considers terrorist acts as justified religious martyrdom would cry foul when they get a taste of their own medicine.
I know about as much about Syria as I do pluto, so I will not try to guess why this has happened.
Exactly, its ironic since they allowed suicide bombers to transit their country on their way to Iraq. Kharmas a bxtch.
Truly one man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter.
And now it begins - the people of Syria are getting tired of the unrestrained attacks on peaceful demonstraters. Amazing that it took this long before the people began to strike back against the government - apparently the people are more civilized than their "leaders". But when people lose hope in change by peaceful and lawful means, then they take the law into their own hands, and the government becomes the outlaws. Remember the fate of Hussein, Khadafy and Bin Laden - will Asswad be next?
Why doesn't someone design a urinal splashguard with Assad's face on it? I mean, pissonhim, right?
He's just another pathetic mass murderer and history will piss on his memory. I bet money on it.
Handy and how does your vitriol help anything?
I'm sure it has been done. The bar I go to had Osama Bin Ladens face in laminate taped to one urinal, and Mayer Coleman Young in the other. So you could pick, or hold back a little and share.
During the US Civil War chamber pots were produced with Union General Ben Butler's image on the botom of the pot.
Eventually Assad will fall and flee to Iran, too many Sunnies civilians are being killed by his alawites sect. 80 % of his armed forces are sunny conscript and his commanding officers are mostly alawites to ensure loyalty.
test
Test what?
First of all, we need to see who was hurt in any bombing: government and loyalist to it or common people and passers-by?
Second, it is counter-intelligent (want to politely say: it is the dumbest thing ever) to even consider asking the Syrian government officials, loyalists, or TV stations inside that poor country. Dounya is another state-loyalist TV station and cannot and will not be an honest source.
Third, look at the campaign the state-run TV station is leading.
So, basically we need to see who's hurt. Anyone defending the criminal Bashar Ass-ad is an accomplice and deserves to rot and die!
No, the Palestenians are their own worst enemies. Instead of building a society (jobs, education, social struture) for their people, they focus on destroying Israel. Not that statement is NOT entirely fair either. Yasser Arafat NEVER cared about improving the lot of his people. All he cared about was war with Israel. Since his death, and since the violent takeover of Gaza by Hamas, their are two camps. Gaza, run by Hamas, is a continuation of Arafat. They don't care about improving the lot of their people. They are radical ideologues whose focus is war with Israel. Just this year, they prevented two high school age students from leaving Gaza for an exchange study program in the US. Their excuse was they did NOT want their children inflienced by western culture values. In other words, let's live in our own little ignorant world, The West Bank, on the other hand, is in the hands of a much more moderate Palestinian government. I DO blame the Israelis for NOT making peace with these people and IF Israel does NOT, they only have the choices of evicting them all, controlling them all, or continuing an endless war. But the Israelis are NOT mudering thousands. Yeah, they keep tight control and they are going to lose the battle in the long run. But IF Israel killed as many people as Assad is, the ARAB world would be screaming bloody murder. But all they do is send an observer team. And by the way, IF Hezbellah and Hamas are so concerned about the plight of the oppressed palenstinians, where is their concern for their Syrian brothers and sisters anc their children getting murdered and tortured? The situation of Nazi Germany and today's Syria is NOT anything the same as Israel and Palenstine. There are a lot of problems there and I blame Israel but as I said, there is VERY LITTLE excuse for most "terroism," including the ones committed by Hamas against innocent Israelis. Why don't they education and put their people to work being smart and successful? They don't want to because educated, smart, successful citizens would probalby throw their sorry asses out,.
Bill, totally agree with you. If all you do is spend your life hating...............?
What a miserable lot.
The funny thing is that the arab spin-doctors will always try to blame it all on us (US).
Anyway, as I've always said, like evrything else, it must be Obama's fault.
@ Bill-4012182
Well said. +1 for you
I found it especially fascinating how Arafat refused to accept the final peace accord that he and Israel had drafted during the 1990's
Arafat was a terrorist pig come dictator and he showed that he truly wasn't interested in peace when it was finally brought before him after much struggle.
Just one more group of radical Muslims hell bent on killing all Israelies.
Worse than being hell-bent, they are defined by it.
Even if Israel and the Palestinians draft a lasting peace, I am certain that Hezbolla et al will continue to commit terrorist attacks on Israel.
This is their claim to fame. They only exist for the purpose of terrorizing.
Bill 4012182
Your comments on the Palestinian and Israeli situation make perfect sense. We have all thought that these people have so much in common; why are they always killing each other? Whenever hard line factions face off, average people suffer and since average people don’t have guns their powerless to change things.
One thing you mentioned really hit home for me; that was, them being “Radical Ideologues” those words can also describe our very own extreme right wingers here in America. These people are a cancer in a free society because if given half a chance they would force their twisted ideology onto the rest of us in order to satisfy their own religious agenda or for something even simpler GREED....
This article is about Syria, not Israel and Palestine. Assad is a murderous dictator and Israel has a free society with a democratically elected government. To this day, the Palestinian Authority has not officially renounced it's position that the nation of Israel has the right to exist AND that it is committed to the distruction of Israel and it's people. Conversely, Israel continues to build settlements on land that does not actually belong to it. When these folks come together and AT THE SAME TIME Palestinians change their position and Israel stops the building of settlements and returns the land to Palestine, there will be peace. It is 50/50. Moderate American Jews are sick of this and moderate Christians and Muslims of Palestinian descent are too. Btw, I am Jewish and I have many Christian and Muslim friends, many of them of Palestinian descent.
This is not about the land. Arabs had the lands under their control til 1967. They never built their own state, but used these lands to attack Israel and grow suicide bombers. Arabs have a hard time not killing one another, look at Iraq, Syria, Libya and the rest. How do you expect them to make peace with Jews when they cannot make peace with one another. Until they start respecting their own people the will not be peace in their land and not with Jews. We may dream about peace, but it will ot become reality, even if we repeat it all day long and blame Israel for it. Actually, Israel is the only place in the ME where Arabs do not kill one another and enjoy more freedoms and better quality of life than in any other place in the ME.
nedsheckler wow. I'm surprised there are people defending the Palestinians in this discutions.I wish find alot of People like you , not fanatic and moderate ,regardless their religion and Affiliation, thanks alot .
They're 65 bodies behind Iraq's daily SLAUGHTER count. Sounds like their "religion of peace(DEATH)" is working out for them about as well as Hussein's "Hoax and Chains" is for the US. Why not, their both founded on LIES.
The entire mid-east is a never ending saga of revolution, sectarian violence, religious intolerance, gender discrimination, violence towards women, and indiscriminate killing and genocide. These people deserve each other. Although not a Republican, I totally agree with Ron Paul's belief in non-involvement.
Oh that's just intolerant!
Things like arresting rape-victims for adultery unless they marry their attacker has been a cultural pastime of theirs for centuries!
How dare you expect these peaceful peoples to shed their culture and assimilate into your relative notions of fairness and liberty.
Some women like to dress like ninjas in 100-degree weather and 80% humidity
Wouldn't it be nice if we could just drop a dome over them and let them fight it out without harming the rest of the world? Just a sci-fi wishful moment.
Ignore chaos at your own peril, isolationists. A raging war is taking place in the Mideast,not an Arab Spring, and it is going to get worse whether we preempt Iran or not Ignoring Hiltler did no good
World economics simply cannot keep up with population growth so somebody winds up pissed over it
Ron Paul is ALL about his POCKETBOOK and isolationism saves him a ton of MONEY. And he hates giving money to ANYBODY much less non whites. If taxes were left to a vote by his ilk there would be no taxes at all and it would be every man for himself and SCREW that brother's keeper CRAP
I say we force them ALL to move to Mongolia or Tibet, brainwash them, and level every last building in the Middle East INCLUDING the MOST sacred shrines of ALL religions, wailing wall Dome of the Rock et al and just be DONE with it. And if there is a PEEP of protest about it EXECUTE them and let them know in no uncertain terms that their "cultures" have been ERADICATED from the face of the Earth forever more. Ask the damned people of TIBET about it. NO MORE WARLORDS! EXECUTE every last one
And as PROOF it can be done I give you the former mighty Japanese Warrior Culture=--- GONE!
If I were in charge I would RAISE the entire city of Jerusalem and salt it with radioactive debris to ensure it was never rebuilt as a shrine for hateful people to rally around. Think Carthage
Yeah and right after that you should RAZE it. Thanks for playing.
When MacArthur snapped his fingers, The Japanese did as they were told, no questions asked First up your damned Emperor is no damned God and your warrior culture is HISTORY. Snap and it was done. They are just LUCKY MacArthur was no Caligula
This needs to be REPEATED in the Arab World
Watch this video, it shows them planting the blood
check out this facebook page to find out the truth
Yeah, Assad, you are going to respond with an "iron fist" against terroist bomb strikes. OK. How is this different than arresting, torturing, killing, bombing, and terrorizing peaceful protesters? Oh, yeah, those were peaceful protesters and these are people who have decided that if they don't fight back, they will end up like the peaceful protesters. You will kill many more but it's too late. You have a civil war and the free syrian army won't give up until they are defeated or they win. This is called war. This is what you started.
Death in the mideast by explosives ? Why is this news, it happens every day..
Because so many of them are bloodthirsty vampires.
This is one for the Arab League. Neighboring nations need to step up. The US simply can not fight every oppressive regime to replace it with yet another oppressive regime. As of yesterday we are no lomnger in that business. The days of Cheney/Bush we will give you what we want and you will thank us for it are gone.
If Syria was serious about this, they would start with Ass-head Assad and put his in a noose.
Damascans, welcome to Baghdad! Get rid of that punk Assad and march into the 21st century.
And "Iron Fist" is supposed to be the "new policy". What was the old one, "Iron Foot".
The Syrian government is already at the "iron fist" stage! Perhaps this is their was of expressing "iron fist" to the "second power?" i.e. - killing anything that moves, including babies, children, the disabled, cats, dogs, bugs, and birds overhead!? I wonder if these represent the "terrorists" that Assad speaks of?
The Syrian government is finished, and that's how I decode the underlying significance of their rants, raves and cants these days - It just a matter of time for Mr. Flat-Brain and his thugs!!