Bomb rattles Damascus as Syrian opposition meets in Qatar

GlobalPost

A bomb struck Syria's Damascus today, injuring several as representatives of the country's fractured opposition movement meet in Qatar, according to Reuters

More from GlobalPost: Syrian tanks enter Golan Heights demilitarized zone

Syrian state television announced that a 110-pound bomb "caused by terrorists went off near to the Dama Rose hotel and the union federation, which left a number of people wounded and causing damage to the area," citing at least 11 people injured, reported SKY News

The term "terrorists" is widely understood as a reference to the country's armed rebel movement, which has been trying to overthrow President Bashar al-Assad for the last 18 months in violence believed to have taken more than 30,000 lives. The Dama Rose hotel frequently hosts major international diplomats. 

Opposition activists blamed the violence in Damascus today on the Islamic militant network Ahfad al-Rasoul (Grandsons of the Prophet), said Reuters

The news comes as major Syrian opposition groups, including the Syrian National Council, kick off a four-day summit in Qatar meant to address the divided rebel movement's international representation, according to The Guardian's Syria liveblog.

Also today, the rebel Free Syrian Army claimed to have captured Syria's eastern El Ward oilfield in an attack the UK-based Syrian Network for Human Rights said killed 40 guards, reported Bloomberg

The group also said regime forces killed 57 people throughout Syria today, according to Reuters

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