Bombs fall on refugee camp near Damascus, killing 10
A Jordanian soldier helps newly arrived Syrian refugees after they crossed the border from Syria into Jordan, near the town of Ramtha, on September 5, 2012.
At least 10 people are dead and 15 more are wounded after bombs exploded in or near the Syrian capital of Damascus Friday, including several strikes on a refugee area.
Reuters reported that 10 people died when bombs fells on the Yarmouk region, a Palestinian refugee camp south of the capital.
Witnesses blamed President Bashar al-Assad’s forces for dropping almost a dozen strikes on Yarmouk.
“At least 10 people have been killed and 15 wounded since they resumed shelling,” a woman told Reuters by phone. “There are several burned corpses and limbs, so no one is sure of the total death toll.”
Rebels are said to have detonated two bombs in the capital, killing at least five, according to the Associated Press.
Five policemen died when a bomb strapped to a motorcycle exploded in the Rukneddine neighborhood, the AP said.
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A second blast – said to be a car bomb – then exploded between Syria’s Justice and Information Ministry buildings.
Syria’s state TV reported no injuries from the second detonation.
The apparent car bombing occurred in the Mazze district, an upscale area. It damaged many vehicles.
More people might have been hurt or killed, but Friday marks the weekend in Syria and many buildings are closed, the AP said.
In the rest of the country, at least 55 died Friday in the bloody civil war, the BBC said.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights told BBC that the first bomb, which exploded near a mosque, was intended to hit a security patrol.
Rebel and loyalist forces blame each other for the explosions.
Assad’s government said the blasts were “terrorist” attacks, while rebels say the government planted the bombs to detract from peaceful protests, the BBC said.
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GlobalPost correspondent Tracey Shelton filmed this video of a toddler who, against all odds, survived a bomb attack that killed his entire family in Aleppo, Syria. Many more have not been so lucky.