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Subscribe to RSSSyria closed universities and suspended classes for college students across the country today as anti-regime activists reported the death toll from two massive blasts that ravaged a campus in Aleppo reached 87. The opposition and the government have blamed each other for the explosions, which marked a major escalation in the struggle for control of Aleppo -- Syria's largest city and once the country's main commercial hub. NBC's Bill Neely reports.
The day after a deadly attack on a Syrian university, the State Department issued a statement saying it was appalled – and blamed the attack on President Bashar al-Assad’s regime.
The State Department statement relays information from eyewitnesses at the scene, who said the regime “launched aerial strikes in the vicinity of university facilities.”
The United Nations said that if the attack -- which reportedly killed 80 people, most of them students taking exams, was launched by the government -- Assad’s government would be guilty of war crimes against civilians.
Assad’s government denies the attack, Syrian Information Minister Omran al-Zouabi told NBC’s Bill Neely. He said al-Qaida is connected with the explosions.
“It’s their trademark,” al-Zouabi said. He said the massacre was intended to lay blame on the government, portraying it as unable to protect its students. He said the government had “absolutely nothing” to do with the bombing.
The State Department statement further condemned Assad’s government: “Our sympathies and condolences go out to all those devastated by this senseless tragedy, which is only the latest in a long stream of losses inflicted by the Assad regime on its own people.”
The university, located in Damascas, had been abandoned for many months, Guardian reporter Martin Chulov told NPR’s All Things Considered. A relative normalcy had returned to the city, as had a fresh infusion of food. The bombing changed that.
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kill kill kill thats all those people know what to do
"The State Department statement further condemned Assad’s government: “Our sympathies and condolences go out to all those devastated by this senseless tragedy, which is only the latest in a long stream of losses inflicted by the Assad regime on its own people.”"
Ironically, State Department did not do much when there was genocides of 300000 Christians in Darfur!
It does not bother about regular blasts and killings in Iraq, Pakistan, Sudan, Nigeria and other places where huge numbers are killed.
Are the State Department people seeing through the glasses provided by the oil rich seventh century barbaric, beastly and bigoted Sunni rulers of House of Saud, Qatar, Kuwait, UAE and other Sunni Arab League nations, oil companies and their lobbyists?
UN and its agencies well known to be in the pockets of House of Saud, oil companies and their lobbyists.
When some put money and flash more, UN and its agencies start dancing! Time to wind up highly corrupt and partisan UN and all its agencies.
Syria is reminding me a lot of Libya.
Except we aren't trying to assassinate this leader.
I'm surprised they still have school going on during a civil war.
What a trip.
When Libya fell weapons flowed to islamist all across Africa.
Hope that doesn't happen in Syria.
This conflict is a repeat of the 30 years war fought in Germany 300 years ago. The sectarian proxy conflict has too many similarities. The main difference is that the religion is Islam and the weapons are modern. Germany was ravaged, and so too will be Syria.
This latest University bombing has all the hallmarks of an Islamist attack.
I agree.
Most probably this attack is by one of the Sunni killing machines like al Qaida, MB, Salaffi or some label one.
Let the "responsible end" in Afghanistan not be start for "irresponsible interventions" in Syria, Iran and other places, pointed out by oil rich House of Saud, Qatar, Kuwait, UAE and other Sunni Arab League nations.
Still many have not learnt much from Iraqi wars, Afghan war and disgraceful attacks in Benghazi.
Remove sanctions on Iranian oil and let oil prices crash to reduce economic miseries at home.
Sunni Islam terrorists at work.
But the Saudi, USA and UN support them. Maybe they don't support this specific action, but as a group they support them.
Part of the issue in the middle east is treachery and knowing who your enemies really are. Our politicians often make big mistakes or are not as honest as they project themselves to be.
I don't think that our politicians are that dumb. If one takes repeated kicks, then reasons must be some thing else.
With money centric elections, most depend on huge money collections for elections right from the day one after getting elected.
Here they don't bother from where the money is coming. Oil rich Sunni rulers and their proxies, Jewish lobby and major corporates play a major role.
Rest are pure shows by politicians to hoodwink average citizens.